The start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (Part 1)

Nietzsche said:I’d love to see some strategic bombing over Pittsburgh. It's high time those Boeings were put to actual use; those radicals need to face the consequences.

In that case, you should probably just pack your bags for Pittsburgh and wait for the bombs to start dropping. While you're at it, feel free to tell the locals how much you're looking forward to watching their city get leveled. Then, let us know how that conversation goes.

Nietzsche said:I’d honestly love to see some strategic bombing over in Pittsburgh; they really ought to put those Boeings to good use, since those nationalists need to face the music.

The crowds are all trying to get out of the country, not into it. Just grab some popcorn, hop in your car, and pull up to the front row to watch the whole thing unfold live if it ever actually happens.

Man, what kind of people are 🤦

If it’s actually true that the Ukrainian president is calling on Europeans with military training to step up and help out... then what exactly are you all waiting for? You know, those of you constantly posting here, acting like experts on how Ukrainians aren't fighting hard enough or showing enough grit.
Go help them, then.

Oh, wait. I forgot. None of you actually have any combat training.

Justin Kern67 said:To be perfectly honest, until a few days ago, I hadn't even heard of SWIFT and have no idea how it could actually affect an economy. However, I discovered that back in 2012, during certain sanctions, Iran was cut off from SWIFT, and I see no evidence that it hindered them—if anything, it did the opposite.

You basically need that number whenever you're sending money overseas or getting paid from abroad.

Look, if you actually sit down and crunch the numbers, it’s pretty obvious that Russia isn't the one pulling the strings here to start this whole mess. It’s just common sense at this point. And honestly? For the sake of the people in Ukraine, they should probably just call it quits now because they don't stand a chance. I mean, let's be real—most of them aren't even interested in fighting against Russia, especially when they're basically defending some puppet government installed by the CIA. If those Ukrainians actually had the will to fight, Zelenskyy wouldn't have had to drop a general mobilization order just two days after that initial 200,000-soldier invasion, and they wouldn't be handing out weapons left and right without any oversight whatsoever. We're talking about a nation of 40 million people that only has about 2 million reservists to pull from. The only ones actually itching for a fight are the far-right radicals and, predictably, the guys sitting on the CIA payroll.

Laura Scott7 said:Look, if you actually sit down and crunch the numbers, it’s pretty obvious that Russia isn't the one pulling the strings here to start this whole mess. It’s just common sense at this point. And honestly? For the sake of the people in Ukraine, they should probably just call it quits now because they don't stand a chance. I mean, let's be real—most of them aren't even interested in fighting against Russia, especially when they're basically defending some puppet government installed by the CIA. If those Ukrainians actually had the will to fight, Zelenskyy wouldn't have had to drop a general mobilization order just two days after that initial 200,000-soldier invasion, and they wouldn't be handing out weapons left and right without any oversight whatsoever. We're talking about a nation of 40 million people that only has about 2 million reservists to pull from. The only ones actually itching for a fight are the far-right radicals and, predictably, the guys sitting on the CIA payroll.

The killer is never guilty; it's always someone else's fault... 🙏

vividtiger72 said:So, what you're getting at is that if Ukraine falls back under Russian influence, they'll end up with a system identical to Chechnya? Some kind of pro-Islamic mini-dictatorship?

The reality is that Chechnya got exactly what aligns with their own value system. If you try to force Western values on them, all you're going to get is a brand new Islamic republic—only this time, they'll have some incredibly capable fighters behind them.

Putin managed to pacify them by letting them set their own internal laws within the region, essentially trading local autonomy for massive amounts of federal financial aid in exchange for loyalty to the federation.

EDIT: Looks like Gritty explained it much better than I did.

Of course that’s not what I mean. The Chechens were always the majority in their area, living by their own rules and "handling" any minority that didn't fit their vibe. They're basically just animals who happened to get some money, but hey, it works for them. Most Ukrainians are leaning toward a Western lifestyle, and those pro-Russia folks are in the minority. How would you even balance that? You wouldn't get a Kadyrov, but you'd definitely get some Lukashenko clone stuck under Moscow's boot. I know someone's gonna jump in here and say we're under the thumb of the US, but if I'm forced to choose—and let's be real, I am—I'll take the American boot any day.

Maskeron said:How are the peacekeepers getting on? Have they managed to de-Nazify the country yet?

Zelenskyy suggested Warsaw as the site for negotiations.

Honestly, Zelenskyy is such a comedian; it’s a good thing he didn't suggest Kyiv as the meeting spot.

urbanotter said:Honestly, Zelenskyy is such a comedian; it’s a good thing he didn't suggest Kyiv as the meeting spot.

Well, they already suggested Minsk. It's a good thing they didn't tell him to fly straight to Moscow.😵

urbanotter said:Honestly, Zelenskyy is such a comedian; it’s a good thing he didn't suggest Kyiv as the meeting spot.

As if they should have just gone along with Moscow's idiotic suggestion to make it Minsk.

urbanotter said:Honestly, Zelenskyy is such a comedian; it’s a good thing he didn't suggest Kyiv as the meeting spot.

The Russian option is likely Minsk—basically using Belarus as a staging ground to launch attacks on Ukraine.🤣

Justin Kern67 said:To be perfectly honest, until a few days ago, I hadn't even heard of SWIFT and have no idea how it could actually affect an economy. However, I discovered that back in 2012, during certain sanctions, Iran was cut off from SWIFT, and I see no evidence that it hindered them—if anything, it did the opposite.

When you get cut off from Swift, a nation—and every single business operating within its borders—loses the ability to move money electronically. That’s when the desperate measures start: barter systems, shadow trade, all that. But those workarounds aren't free. It gets expensive for anyone trying to play by those rules. Oil isn't selling for $100 a barrel anymore; it's worth significantly less when you have to move it through the cracks. You end up dealing in cash, where money tends to vanish into the pockets of countless middlemen. You can't just buy goods through standard channels; you need intermediaries, which adds another layer of cost. For a country, it’s a massive, systemic handicap.

Is it just my perception, or did Russia encounter far more resistance than their planners anticipated? It is difficult to decipher given the nature of this hybrid warfare, but after two days of operations, they have failed to secure a single significant city. It appears the only thing they have managed to seize is that desolate ruin near Chernobyl—a place the Ukrainians would likely be happy to hand over to Russia just to get rid of it.

The KGB guy has been running things for 22 years now
He’s out there waving nuclear weapons around like it's nothing
So what, are the rest of the world's powers just going to keep flooding Russia with more
? Honestly, it would be better if they just took him out themselves

urbanotter said:Honestly, Zelenskyy is such a comedian; it’s a good thing he didn't suggest Kyiv as the meeting spot.

On the contrary, shouldn't he be heading straight to the capital of Belarus, given that they are actively participating in the invasion of his nation?

Roy said:Not really. You're just spinning your wheels here, much like everyone else with one of those half-baked, two-digit usernames.

If you were to strip away the context regarding Ukraine and focus strictly on the most recent developments, I suppose you might be able to make it work.

But for someone who tries to look past the immediate headlines and see through the Murdoch propaganda, swallowing that argument is a pretty tall order.

Nancy Gomez26 said:When you get cut off from Swift, a nation—and every single business operating within its borders—loses the ability to move money electronically. That’s when the desperate measures start: barter systems, shadow trade, all that. But those workarounds aren't free. It gets expensive for anyone trying to play by those rules. Oil isn't selling for $100 a barrel anymore; it's worth significantly less when you have to move it through the cracks. You end up dealing in cash, where money tends to vanish into the pockets of countless middlemen. You can't just buy goods through standard channels; you need intermediaries, which adds another layer of cost. For a country, it’s a massive, systemic handicap.

Fine. I am simply stating the fact that it hasn't actually crippled Iran. They are still functioning perfectly well and continue to fund their proxies in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and God knows where else.

Anthony Hill5 said:On the contrary, shouldn't he be heading straight to the capital of Belarus, given that they are actively participating in the invasion of his nation?

He might actually be safer there than in Kyiv, where he's currently being hunted by Chechen special forces.

The West should honestly just slap sanctions on every single journalist working for RT.