CheckEmoji Community · the emoji forum
🏠 Home 🆕 What's new ❓ Unanswered 🔥 Popular 📡 RSS Members 👥 0 online
log in · register
Home › Society › Politics › War in Ukraine › The start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (Part 1)

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

Started by Matthew Rodriguez9 · · 👁 84 views · 2K replies

📡 Subscribe to replies

Participants Matthew Rodriguez9William Anderson5Lisa Jackson7Jeremy Peterson4driftingtinkerSam Wright21electrichawk94urbanottervelvetcyclist95Charles Fox10granitebadger24Frank Nguyen37wiredwolf13hollowwalker24gentleharbor3gentlecrane8Bradley Kingbluerider63Grace Bennett6Betty Murphy3William Clark86silentsurfer3hollowdriver13ironranger67 …
Joshua Myers432 Joshua Myers432 Regular
285 messages
joined Feb 2011
#1401 ·
rowdytiger13 said:If that’s actually true, then the Sultan is quite the legend.

Even if he is still a dictator.

We could be looking at the opening salvos of WW3, yet here you are, celebrating 🤦like it's nothing
.
Turkey is a key NATO member, and frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if an agitated Putin tries to force his way through with his fleet. Once he does, just shut down your computer and find a bunker to hide in.
George Hill4 George Hill4 Newcomer
4 messages
joined Apr 2014
#1402 ·
Grace Bennett6 said:Howitzers are heading to Kyiv, 🤔

https://liveuamap.com/en/2022/26-feb...zhivka-village


Whose?
gentleharbor3 gentleharbor3 Member
47 messages
joined May 2024
#1403 ·
cacophony said:Now this is an interesting take. Macron's policy is heading exactly that way. The EU and most European nations aren't maintaining relations with Russia for their own benefit; they're doing the opposite because of NATO policy and American influence. Personally, I'm in favor of a pan-European policy (to a certain extent), and the concept of a European army is, let's say, intriguing.

Sure, but Macron's idea regarding European strategic autonomy
only works on paper.
In reality, there are deep divides between Eastern and Western Europe
and massive, almost irreconcilable differences that have caused the EU to fail
to provide a unified or effective response to a single crisis so far.
So, despite the fact that America has acted arrogant
toward Europe—from Syria and Afghanistan all the way to the recent AUKUS deal
— this specific war in Ukraine will give NATO
a new raison d'être and further blind Europe to its dependence on the USA.
William Anderson5 William Anderson5 Active Member
219 messages
joined Jan 2013
#1404 ·
mistycanyon67 said:So you actually want bombs dropped in your own backyard? 🤦

If we don't stop Putin, you're definitely going to end up with those bombs. This way, maybe you won't...
velvetcyclist95 velvetcyclist95 Active Member
93 messages
joined Jan 2018
#1405 ·
The real question is, does it even make sense to pull the trigger on using SWIFT as some kind of nuclear option right now?
swiftjackal11 swiftjackal11 Regular
271 messages
joined May 2018
#1406 ·
loneviper4 said:And look, Putin actually brought this up during his speech the other day—you know, the one where he announced the "intervention" in Ukraine.

He claimed that back in 2000, he straight-up asked Clinton what he thought about Russia joining NATO. And apparently, Clinton just shut him down, saying something like that was totally off the table...

He should have spent that money on infrastructure instead. We should just get rid of all offensive weapons altogether.
neonheron9 neonheron9 Active Member
88 messages
joined Sep 2021
#1407 ·
https://twitter.com/christogrozev/st...6Yud3GPccJGVHw

Ukrainian officials are claiming they snagged the top brass from the 35th Guards Rifle Brigade, including their chief of staff. If this actually holds up, it’s the biggest catch of the war so far. Pretty brutal. Massive embarrassment for them.

They just dropped news less than an hour ago—with proof—that they also picked up a tank battalion commander from that same unit.
fadedridge903 fadedridge903 Member
43 messages
joined Feb 2022
#1408 ·
loneskipper3 said:It’s especially egregious when you consider how they unearth two or three massive corruption scandals every single year, not to mention the blatant cronyism that seems to happen on a near-daily basis. Honestly, how are people supposed to keep embezzling millions or carving out cushy government jobs for their cousins and buddies if they can't be certain that some investigative journalist won't eventually sniff it out?

The truth is, those "revelations" usually only happen when someone from an opposing faction within the party decides to leak the documents.
rowdytiger13 rowdytiger13 Regular
378 messages
joined Oct 2018
#1409 ·
Douglas Davis4 said:Klitschko proved he’s the real deal, but he’s out there actually fighting in Kyiv

Major respect to the Ukrainians

A true athlete and an even better man.🙏🙏
It really boosts morale seeing people like him refuse to run away, choosing instead to stay and fight for their city.
Nancy Gomez26 Nancy Gomez26 Regular
787 messages
joined Jan 2018
#1410 ·
Richard Wilson4 said:Honestly, I'm betting it's just another rumor, kind of like all that stuff about the Bosphorus...

In my experience, rumors of that nature are taken very seriously in Moscow.
neonheron9 neonheron9 Active Member
88 messages
joined Sep 2021
#1411 ·
Russian saboteur caught on camera in Kyiv, tagging infrastructure

Looks like someone was messing with the gas lines here...
Henry Lopez10 Henry Lopez10 Member
24 messages
joined Mar 2010
#1412 ·
It feels to me like this whole thing is just a massive trap set for Putin.

You’re dealing with an absolute ruler here—a nationalist who has zero interest in democracy or globalism. He’s someone who refuses to let globalism, the West, or mainstream Western corporations come into Russia to exploit national resources and everything else tied to that narrative... at least, not on their terms.
Russia is powerful.
And honestly, you can't just unseat him and his inner circle because he's too deeply entrenched. Your only real option would be a Kennedy-style move, but that would likely just solidify the current political status quo.
Not to mention the sheer amount of money it would cost amidst the resulting chaos. 😉
So, what’s the play?
You provoke him gradually. You irritate him, poking at his core ideologies and his ego. You identify his psychological vulnerabilities as both a man and a leader, then humiliate and manipulate him. You exploit those weaknesses. You basically get those hypothetical leaders in Europe to play right into your hands.
Putin launches an assault on an innocent, non-confrontational, West-leaning Ukraine, which allows you to frame him as a mad narcissist attacking a victim. Which, to be fair, is exactly what Ukraine is.
I'm just laying out the scenario.
You fuel the madness until, in the eyes of the world, the democracies, and even his own people, he looks like a warmongering lunatic. Everyone starts wanting him gone.
Between the sanctions and other strategic moves, the fallout eventually forces him out of power, whether through diplomacy or brute force.
Once he falls, the autocracy and the dream of a new USSR collapse along with him. Boom.
Modernity rushes in, bringing Western business and globalism in all its various forms.
The West grows stronger, and China gets even more powerful, even though they’re already an economic titan.

The people pulling the strings have him exactly where they want him. And if nothing else, at least Americans selling oil will make a killing.
They’re putting Putin exactly where they intended.
The pressure builds every single day, though unfortunately, the Ukrainians and Russians will be the ones footing the bill.
Interesting theory, isn't it?
Rachel Allen55 Rachel Allen55 Active Member
128 messages
joined Nov 2018
#1413 ·
If regular folks just grab guns and try to go toe-to-toe with the Russian army—who are way more trained than anyone here—it's basically suicide.

Look, I get the patriotism and the whole "defend your home" thing, I really do, but there’s a fine line between being brave and just being plain crazy.

Zensnsky is basically sending his own people straight to the meat grinder right now. If he had any sense, he'd be jumping on the phone to negotiate with Vladimir Putin immediately, whether that happens in Minsk or some neutral spot like Finland.

In a situation like this, you should be playing the long game to save your nation, not just trying to protect your own seat at the table.
gentleharbor3 gentleharbor3 Member
47 messages
joined May 2024
#1414 ·
The fundamental flaw in how people view these sanctions and this war
is the delusion that the world still revolves around the West. It doesn't.
We’re seeing a clear break from Western cultural, political, and economic dominance.
Just as the Middle East was our primary focus, the rest of the world sees this conflict in America's backyard as secondary.
America is rapidly becoming a peripheral player on the global stage while the center of gravity shifts toward the East.
Robin Cruz21 Robin Cruz21 Newcomer
2 messages
joined Feb 2022
#1415 ·
Michael Davis10 said:Man, gas and heating prices are gonna go straight to hell

Let them go.
velvetcyclist95 velvetcyclist95 Active Member
93 messages
joined Jan 2018
#1416 ·
So, the Speaker of the House back in Washington had a bit of a "foot-in-mouth" moment last night.

The whole debate was centered on the war in Ukraine and whether the US should be taking in refugees.

He basically said yeah, we can help, but he argued that Ukrainians ought to stay put and fight for their own soil—then dropped this line about what would've happened if Americans had just fled back in 1945. 😁

Fast forward to today, and he’s already walking it back, admitting the comparison was totally off base and offering an apology.

But hey, some people just don't get it.

https://twitter.com/OliveraStajic/st...34392390012928
Grace Bennett6 Grace Bennett6 Active Member
66 messages
joined Feb 2022
#1417 ·
James Chavez91 said:Zelenskyy gave thanks to Erdogan for banning those Russian ships from entering...
Is there an official report on this somewhere?

Yeah, check this out: https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/stat...64078897774598

I thank my friend Mr. President of 🇹🇷 @RTErdogan and the people of 🇹🇷 for their strong support. The Ban on The passage of 🇷 🇺 warships to The Black Sea and significant military and humanitarian support for 🇺🇦 are extremely important today. The people of 🇺🇦 will never forget that!
placidrider48 placidrider48 Active Member
84 messages
joined Oct 2011
#1418 ·
Tyler Jones6 said:The French government is reportedly sending €300 million in military aid to Ukraine—most likely in the form of anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems.

If that actually makes it there, the Russians might just go ahead and... well, win fast. I guess this whole thing is gonna drag on for at least a few weeks, maybe more.
Rachel Allen55 Rachel Allen55 Active Member
128 messages
joined Nov 2018
#1419 ·
William Anderson5 said:Russia has ignited a war in Europe that could easily escalate into a much larger military conflict. The response from the West has to be radical and uncompromising.
There’s just no room left for half-measures. Putin has made it clear he isn't interested in negotiating...

Not that long ago, we had wars happening right in our own backyard in the West. Take America—that could have easily spilled over its borders. We all know how those conflicts dragged on for over a decade, stretching from Canada all the way down to North Mexico.

And then there was that civil war in Albania back in '97.

I get why some people in the West are spooked. But honestly? I'm pretty sure this conflict stays contained within Ukraine's borders.
loneviper4 loneviper4 Member
17 messages
joined Aug 2020
#1420 ·
Paul Patel95 said:If it's all just a joke, then let's dance through the chaos.

If there's a party going on, I say let's go all out and dance with the princess. 😁

Now the Russians are pivoting to Bitcoin...

Honestly, the Russians seem way more ready to get kicked out of SWIFT than the Germans are. If nothing else, at least their debts get wiped clean—assuming they even had any to begin with! ☕

You must log in or register to reply here.

Log in Register

🔗 Similar threads