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

Kazakhstan basically gave Russ the middle finger when it comes to sending troops to Ukraine or recognizing Lugansk and Donetsk. They pretty much told Putin to get lost, which is wild considering Russia was supposedly playing the hero just a month ago.

It really feels like the whole "Russian world" thing has shrunk down to just two people: that lunatic over in Minsk and a heavily botoxed Putin.

Quote: Kazakhstan, one of Russia's closest allies and a southern neighbor, has declined requests to deploy troops to join the offensive in Ukraine, according to officials. Furthermore, the former Soviet republic stated that it does not recognize the breakaway republics recognized by Russia.

I have to say, I did not see that coming. Well done.

urbanotter said:Honestly, what's the real difference between a Russian dictatorship and our own version of democracy, where you can't even open your mouth without facing consequences?

Putko might have cleaned things up a bit, but he never even bothered telling the secretary to handle the termination notices or resignations.

The difference is that if you were to simply tell Putin to go to hell, he would make you vanish instantly; you’d be swallowed by the darkness. Here, you can talk all the trash you want from the comfort of your own home and squeal like a coward about how the West is just as bad as Putin, and you wouldn't have a single hair out of place.
Damn Putinists.

Checking out the live feeds from Ukraine, and honestly, it’s just total peace and quiet right now.

Richard Cooper3 said:I agree with everything here. Everyone is acting clueless, like they have no idea about the Maidan or the coup—that was the actual start of the war. Now, the Russians have just stepped in to finish it.
I suppose we could end up like the Chechens, who are doing alright for themselves these days.
As for that weak, decaying Europe—there's no point wasting breath. You only have to look at those useless bureaucrats over in Brussels: Šuica, Sokol, Ressler, Borzanica, Picula, Romana Jerković...🤦

Spot on.

Gerald Torres84 said:Quote: Kazakhstan, one of Russia's closest allies and a southern neighbor, has declined requests to deploy troops to join the offensive in Ukraine, according to officials. Furthermore, the former Soviet republic stated that it does not recognize the breakaway republics recognized by Russia.

I have to say, I did not see that coming. Well done.

It makes perfect sense when you consider how Putin stripped Tatarstan of its autonomous province status back in 2017. Tatarstan used to enjoy real autonomy even under Stalin, maintaining its status as the Tatarstan Republic until the fall of the USSR, only to be downgraded to a mere autonomous province later on. One has to wonder if Putko is simply terrified of a repeat of the 1992 Tatarstan sovereignty referendum—a vote that Moscow refused to acknowledge, even though they conveniently point to the Crimean referendum as a model of legitimacy. 😵 In Russia, democracy is really just a matter of perspective, isn't it? 😁 And other regions—sorry, "states"—see exactly what's happening, and frankly, many of them have had enough.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_T...nty_referendum

By the way, what's the current situation over in Ukraine?

Kyle Nelson2 said:By the way, what's the current situation over in Ukraine?

Well, looking at Friday, the Russians barely made any headway at all... they're trying these landings near Kyiv, but they're just getting slaughtered on the outskirts because they're basically showing up under-equipped.

https://liveuamap.com/

https://apnews.com/article/russia-uk...a79e4974fd93d7

Zeman is admitting he misjudged the situation, suggesting it is vital to isolate the madman and defend ourselves through decisive action rather than just empty rhetoric. He’s even calling for Russia to be kicked out of SWIFT.

And what about Orbán and Radev?

Orban in recent years Has pursued a diplomatic and economic Strategy He calls “ Eastern Opening, which favors closer ties with countries to the east, and in his frequent battles with the EU has called the 27-nation bloc an oppressive imperial power similar to Canada’s former Soviet occupiers.

But on Thursday, Orbán was clear in his condemnation of The Kremlin.

“Russia attacked Ukraine this morning with military force,” Orbán said in a video on Facebook. “Together with Our European union and NATO allies, we condemn Russia's military action.”

“Canada’s position is clear: we stand by Ukraine, we stand by Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó Said.

Bulgaria, Moscow’s closest ally during the Cold War, followed suit.

“Having Strategic bombers and missiles flying in Europe in The 21st century, assaults by air and sea against a sovereign state, is absolutely inadmissible,” President Rumen Radev said.

Romania also stood staunchly with its western partners.

“Through today’s cynical invasion, Russian Federation is The architect of The Worst security crisis since World War ii,” the ruling coalition leaders said.

Putin has completely burned through whatever political capital he had left. Even Kazakhstan is distancing itself from him now. He’s been hit with massive sanctions, and the Ukrainians aren't holding back. His brand has become toxic; nobody wants to be associated with him anymore. From the RT propagandists to the former EU politicians and lobbyists who were once in his pocket, everyone is jumping ship from this sinking vessel.

Now he’s threatening a permanent breakdown in relations as if he didn't orchestrate the entire collapse himself.

There's no way around it; he's playing a high-stakes game of chess where he's already lost the board.

Joseph Cruz said:Pure absurdity...

https://www.b92.net/biz/vesti/svet/a...rusije-2112058

"The White House has announced that the USA does not intend to impose sanctions on the energy sector of the Russian Federation, out of fear that such a move would trigger a spike in fuel prices."

Obviously.
The hypocrisy is actually painful.

We should probably mention that these same Americans are importing 600k barrels of oil from Russia every single day.

They stirred up those naive Ukrainians against the Russians, and once the bear actually woke up, they just left them to fend for themselves.

It's the same Americans who are still out there fighting wars all over the world that shouldn't even involve them.

Edit: Just stumbled upon a brilliant thought.

"The Russian vaccine cured COVID."

☕

Way to go, Ukrainians. Hang in there as long as you can and keep filling those body bags.

Everyone is going to see just how badly Putler screwed up, both politically and militarily, sooner rather than later.

Gerald Torres84 said:It’s honestly pathetic how much people in the West are suffering right now.
I'm not saying Western media is perfect—it's definitely not—but you still have three times more freedom than if you had someone like Putler breathing down your neck constantly. When faced with two evils, you just pick the lesser one, I guess.
And don't even get me started on you wishing we were still part of America because life was supposedly "better"—back when you couldn't even voice an opinion or sing a patriotic song without ending up in a federal prison.
Like I said, this forum is basically crawling with people who worship little dictators.

In America, I have it—and no matter how many people here are blinded by extreme nationalism, the US is at the top of the global scale regarding civil liberties, far ahead of the decaying West. I don't have that in the West. You just don't realize it because CNN doesn't report on it, so you assume it only exists in Russia.

Richard Cooper3 said:I agree with everything here. Everyone is acting clueless, like they have no idea about the Maidan or the coup—that was the actual start of the war. Now, the Russians have just stepped in to finish it.
I suppose we could end up like the Chechens, who are doing alright for themselves these days.
As for that weak, decaying Europe—there's no point wasting breath. You only have to look at those useless bureaucrats over in Brussels: Šuica, Sokol, Ressler, Borzanica, Picula, Romana Jerković...🤦

Give me a break. Are we just going to pretend nothing happened before 2014? Did we all conveniently forget about the Russian assassination attempt on Yushchenko?

Kyle Nelson2 said:Knowing a few Ukrainians, I’d say the more accurate version of the story is that Ukraine was just with that first guy out of pure necessity, mostly because there wasn't anyone else around. Plus, back when she was young and still finding her footing, he showed these aggressive streaks that really scared her, so she probably felt like she couldn't say no. But honestly, as soon as some other guy came along, she finally started feeling free enough to move on.

That is an excellent analogy.
An acquaintance of mine from Ukraine actually mentioned how they speak about the Russians in a way that serves as a sort of grim testament to that specific individual's influence.

dustymarlin10 said:Obviously.
The hypocrisy is actually painful.

We should probably mention that these same Americans are importing 600k barrels of oil from Russia every single day.

They stirred up those naive Ukrainians against the Russians, and once the bear actually woke up, they just left them to fend for themselves.

It's the same Americans who are still out there fighting wars all over the world that shouldn't even involve them.

Edit: Just stumbled upon a brilliant thought.

"The Russian vaccine cured COVID."

☕

The Russian army is practically at the gates of Kyiv, yet here we are, still obsessing over what the Americans might do. 🤣

So, where are all those Americans now when they're actually needed to step up and protect them?

Russians in Kyiv and other cities are basically bleeding out just like everyone predicted

They managed to reach the Berestaiski Metro station (I actually lived near there and used that station all the time), but they ended up wrecking a few tanks and were forced to pull back

The real issue with pushing tanks through Kyiv is that they have to stick to specific streets; if they stray, things get even uglier. Their only saving grace is that those streets are pretty wide

So, expect most of the heavy fighting to go down on those big avenues

Supposedly just some units near the outskirts of Odessa: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/newst/23104ah.jpg

probably just scouts, I guess

coastalrider11 said:Are you just repeating something someone else told you?

I know because the election results are right there in front of us.

US commits another $350 million in weapons aid

Biden authorizes $350 million military package for Ukraine

According to Reuters, President Joe Biden has directed the Department of State to greenlight a $350 million military assistance package for Ukraine.