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

James Phillips92 said:What's the issue here? Honestly, would you even stay if you were in his shoes?

Of course I wouldn't... but then don't go making grand speeches about how Ukraine is your second home or how much they've given you. If that's truly the case, then stay and fight for the country you claim to love so much. Don't just tuck your tail and run back to your original home...

Richard Wilson4 said:I kind of wish Pilsudski had just built a massive powerhouse alliance between Poles, Lithuanians, Belarusians, and Ukrainians. One strong state like that would have kept both the Germans and the Russians at arm's length.

Man... 🧐I don't even know.

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."

☕

Oh, please—they "egged them on"? That’s a stretch. All the rivers of the Ukrainian military were flowing right toward the Russian border, leaving Putin with absolutely no choice but to strike.

This whole thing just proves they weren't being naive by trying to distance themselves from Russia; if anything, it was quite the opposite.

It’s funny... you don't see any anti-war protests happening across Europe, yet there are plenty in Russia. Of course, they get shut down by force, and around 1,700 people have been arrested.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/russia-protests-crackdown

neonheron9 said:https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/...0ZK8ePq6gAfJag

According to the Ukrainians, the Russians haven't made any ground in the last 24 hours.

Three days ago, they were stuttering in fear before Vladimir Putin. Now, it’s only when they see things aren't going to plan that they start making noise.

rowdytiger13 said:It’s funny... you don't see any anti-war protests happening across Europe, yet there are plenty in Russia. Of course, they get shut down by force, and around 1,700 people have been arrested.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/russia-protests-crackdown

In the European Union, things mostly move forward when the US or the UK/NATO steps in.

https://www.ft.com/content/93554a7e-...a-c111d253b002

Ukraine says they took out a Russian Lockheed C-5 Galaxy

gentlecrane8 said:The massive street protests for Ukraine we expected to see across major European cities just haven't happened.
It looks like folks in Europe have plenty of other things to worry about right now.

Paris video: the Eiffel Tower is lit up in Ukrainian colors.

Also...
Berlin and Paris are glowing in Ukrainian colors.
Berlin and Paris illuminate buildings in Ukrainian colours in show of unity

HotCookie said:Seriously? Don't make me laugh.
Donald Trump won those elections
because every single poll showed people were fed up
with foreign invasions—sorry, interventions—
especially since it was gutting the US internally,
draining the country through wars that cost us more than just cash;
it drained our humanity too.

We'll see how things play out in Russia. According to you, Vladimir Putin is practically flying out of the Kremlin.

Richard Wilson4 said:In the European Union, things mostly move forward when the US or the UK/NATO steps in.

Which makes sense.
Russia started the occupation of a neighboring country here, so the Russians should be the ones protesting.

swiftjackal11 said:We'll see how things play out in Russia. According to you, Vladimir Putin is practically flying out of the Kremlin.

Dictators don't give a damn about what the public thinks.

The real headache for him is those oligarchs.

But honestly, the European Union crowd isn't exactly itching to drop any heavy-duty sanctions...

Sam Alvarez4 said:Paris video: the Eiffel Tower is lit up in Ukrainian colors.

Also...
Berlin and Paris are glowing in Ukrainian colors.
Berlin and Paris illuminate buildings in Ukrainian colours in show of unity

I doubt that’s going to do much more for them than cutting them off from SWIFT would have.

I can't quite make sense of that one—looks like a typo or a bit of gibberish. If you were trying to make a point, feel free to drop it again. I'm all ears. James Phillips92 says:
Citizens in the European Union are being squeezed—all because of these shifting economic and political agendas coming out of London and Washington. Energy costs are spiking—and everything else is following right along with them. It’s that classic domino effect where one thing gets more expensive, and suddenly, the price of just about everything else starts climbing too.,

It’s freezing outside—classic winter weather—and yet those donations from the UK and the US still haven't shown up. Apparently, focusing on LGBTQ+ rights and preaching about "freedom and democracy for minorities" and "transparency" takes priority over actually getting the funds moving.

It’s just like when a major disaster hits—they vanish into thin air. Unless there’s a massive paycheck involved to fund all that "altruism," "activism," and those "peaceful protests," you won't see them anywhere.

The Ukrainians played their part—there was a massive investment in them right up until they irritated Russia. Now that they’ve essentially fulfilled the agenda for the UK and the US, the math just doesn't add up anymore. There's no financial logic left in it—no extra profit, no bonuses—just a finished job. They did what they were sent to do.

Irritated Russia. This is exactly what we needed.

Richard Wilson4 said:Dictators don't give a damn about what the public thinks.

The real headache for him is those oligarchs.

But honestly, the European Union crowd isn't exactly itching to drop any heavy-duty sanctions...

The East and the Baltic just got a clear demonstration that they can't rely on Western Europe—especially not Germany or Austria.
Poland is right on this one; sticking with the United States is the only way to go.

Richard Wilson4 said:Dictators don't give a damn about what the public thinks.

The real headache for him is those oligarchs.

But honestly, the European Union crowd isn't exactly itching to drop any heavy-duty sanctions...

I’m fairly certain we might see them getting kicked out of SWIFT as early as today, especially given how bravely the Ukrainians and Zelenskyy have held the line. It's being talked about more and more. Even Italy announced yesterday that they’ve given the green light for it.

neonheron9 said: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

I stopped reading right after that because the phrasing was just so ugly. Honestly, I've never seen anything more crude or primitive...

There are young people among the Russians too—conscripts who never even got a say about going to Ukraine. They're there simply because they have no choice.

The paranoid autocrat in the Kremlin and his followers are one thing. But those young conscripts, whose lives mean absolutely nothing to the Kremlin? That's a whole different story...

Thomas Morales8 said:Of course I wouldn't... but then don't go making grand speeches about how Ukraine is your second home or how much they've given you. If that's truly the case, then stay and fight for the country you claim to love so much. Don't just tuck your tail and run back to your original home...

A person respects the country where they work, and I don't see anything wrong with calling it a second home.

gentlemoose57 said:Oh, please—they "egged them on"? That’s a stretch. All the rivers of the Ukrainian military were flowing right toward the Russian border, leaving Putin with absolutely no choice but to strike.

This whole thing just proves they weren't being naive by trying to distance themselves from Russia; if anything, it was quite the opposite.

Spot on.
Out of everyone in NATO, it seems like only Turkey is actually pushing for real action and providing actual support to Ukraine.

So much for the "West."
They'll turn their backs on you before you even realize what happened.

rowdypilot53 said:It seems to me that what Srna actually said in the article doesn't match that headline...

You're spot on.

He just said he won't be the "first one to jump ship"... and he isn't.👍

Sam Alvarez4 said:I stopped reading right after that because the phrasing was just so ugly. Honestly, I've never seen anything more crude or primitive...

There are young people among the Russians too—conscripts who never even got a say about going to Ukraine. They're there simply because they have no choice.

The paranoid autocrat in the Kremlin and his followers are one thing. But those young conscripts, whose lives mean absolutely nothing to the Kremlin? That's a whole different story...

Sorry if I don't feel bad for some Russian spreading death across Ukraine, especially when they're out there risking my friends' lives and leveling their cities and futures in the process.

I hope they spill as much blood as possible.

Until they turn on Putin, I couldn't care less.