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

crimsonlynx24 said:Honestly, those people pointing fingers and calling everyone else Russian trolls are actually the biggest trolls of them all...

Look, this is a free country—everyone is entitled to their own perspective here!

If that makes me a troll, then fine, call me one. I firmly believe that during the Euromaidan, a pro-Western president was essentially installed by force. You had "protesters" wielding weapons—including that infamous Azov battalion—firing shots in the square, all while refusing to allow for a new presidential election where the previously elected Janukovich would have likely won again.

And I just caught wind that Ukrainians aren't even allowing men between the ages of 18 and 60 to leave the country. At the end of the day, individual morality isn't designed for combat; I fail to see why anyone should be forced to die just to serve the conflicting interests of the West and the East.

Most people are simply operating with a limited set of facts—they rely entirely on Western media outlets, which, let's face it, dominate the landscape and are probably what 90% of the population consumes daily.

Especially those with accounts dating back to, say, 2009...

And about 200 posts...

Defending the usual suspects...

👍

neonpuma30 said:Stalingrad—ever even heard of that place?🤦

Yeah, sure, if you’re actually looking to turn Kyiv into a smoking crater of artillery shells and jet fuel, then yeah, maybe that kind of scorched-earth tactic works for you.👍

bluerider63 said:Zelenskyy’s latest video is all about Ukraine joining the European Union, which honestly makes me wonder if he stumbled into the presidency by accident or if he’s just completely detached from reality regarding the actual odds of that happening given how things look right now. I’m leaning toward the latter, mostly because I’ve got this nagging fear that he actually thought NATO was going to step in and fight his battles for him instead of just sending supplies.

Look, NATO isn't going to go to war for Ukraine, period. They'll keep sending hardware and gear, sure, but they said the exact same thing before the invasion started and they're saying it again now.

And as for joining the EU? That takes forever. It’s not like you can just walk up to a bank teller and buy a ticket.

cosmicgull52 said:If this turns out to be true regarding Turkey, it would constitute a legitimate casus belli for The Government, provided they are willing to play ball with the big players. This will easily be the biggest news of the next three days.

COME AND SEE

I was thinking the exact same thing. Based on the current contracts, this is a textbook casus belli. It would be a massive shock if this turns out to be true, mostly because even when his Russ were targeting folks in Syria, Erdogan didn't have the guts to pull a move like this.

The Baltic states, along with Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Bulgaria, have all moved to close their airspace to Russian flights.

https://twitter.com/AlexInAir/status...58448841580545

It’s much like a perimeter being tightened; meanwhile, Russia is using ballistic missiles to strike residential buildings in Kyiv.

View on twitter

electricstag9 said:The axe is hanging by a thread over their heads... an exit from SWIFT is looking more and more inevitable.

If I recall correctly, Iran was kicked out of SWIFT ages ago, and

aside from oil and gas prices spiking, nothing much happened—though there were subsequent price hikes for cars, shipping, food... even plastics...

Less competition inevitably leads to higher prices,

and fuel is already so incredibly cheap it’s practically a giveaway.

If you have too much cash lying around, feel free to go stand on your balcony and toss it into the street or set it on fire...

I have never understood those people who root for making their own lives in America even more difficult... or impossible... or expensive...

And yet, these same individuals insist on buying oil from absolute monarchies like Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, or the UAE... places where women lack basic rights and people are imprisoned simply for praying in their homes, because churches are banned along with almost every religion except Wahhabism; in fact, it is legally forbidden to even be an atheist, which results in prison time, but we certainly won't be kicking them out of SWIFT since half their profits flow directly into British and American corporations, which is considered indispensable.

SWIFT, SWIFT, SWIFT, SWIFT! Let's go, kick Russia out! Our prices are far too low and everything is just way too affordable as it is... our houses are far too massive... the government has a massive surplus... and we clearly want even less stuff to be able to buy with these tiny pensions.🙂🙂🙂🙂

Kenneth Bennett2 said:The "normal" powers, you know, like the USA and NATO... look at Baghdad, Kabul, or Tripoli... just a bunch of countries that weren't threatening anyone and definitely never went looking for a fight with Hell itself.

You're stuck in the past. Ukraine is the main topic right now. It is in Europe, too.

bluerider63 said:Zelenskyy’s latest video is all about Ukraine joining the European Union, which honestly makes me wonder if he stumbled into the presidency by accident or if he’s just completely detached from reality regarding the actual odds of that happening given how things look right now. I’m leaning toward the latter, mostly because I’ve got this nagging fear that he actually thought NATO was going to step in and fight his battles for him instead of just sending supplies.

He didn't think that—politics happens behind closed doors.
Basically, the US specifically laid everything out for him.

His whole goal now is just luring Russia into a trap.

Sam Martinez9 said:If Putin actually went after New York City with nukes, the war would already be at a stage where a retaliatory strike on London or Paris would be practically inevitable.

In that scenario, we’re talking about a preemptive strike—basically NATO hitting Moscow with everything they've got.

Millions of Europeans would lose their lives, but honestly, life is cheap. People have been dying for ages; it’s just how things go.

The reality is, under full mobilization, the EU only has ten times the manpower of Russia because they have three times the population. This isn't like the last World War where Germany was taking on the entire planet—Germany, the UK, France, Poland, and the rest. 🙂

Michael Davis10 said:Even the Germans are saying Ukrainians might be exaggerating things a bit, like how they downplay losses.

The Germans should probably just shut it and stay quiet unless someone actually asks for their opinion.

It’s embarrassing for the West, honestly. NATO ought to just suspend them.

George Hill4

Grace Bennett6 said: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!

No one else has even mentioned this yet, and I guess I don't really see why the Turks would even be allowed to do that

William Anderson5 said:From what I can see, this Russian army operates more like a disorganized group of amateurs.

The only way they manage to make any headway is through sheer, barbaric brute force backed by heavy weaponry...

He'd probably rather stay home and play PS4 than deal with Putin.

cosmicgull52 said:To be honest, if things truly come to that, I would rather face it now than live in a world ruled by Putin where every nation treats the next like prey. If there were an opportunity for serious military intervention to support Ukraine, I would back it. While I am firmly against American imperialism and forcing democracy on others through force, Putin has become a lethal threat to all decent people...

What exactly counts as "normal" here?
Is it really considered normal for some American kid to head overseas 7458 miles to liberate Iraq from a dictator, and then get treated like a hero once he survives the bullets?
Are those the "normal people" we're talking about?
Since it feels like Western priorities have shifted toward catering to the LGBT and BLM movements, I honestly think we're just seeing the beginning of the end for the Western empire—kind of like when Rome fell
The Yellow guys are just waiting for their moment to strike

bluepuma9 said:His goal ceases to exist, along with him, the second he uses nukes.

The China Development Bank is already starting to tighten the screws on raw material trade with Russia. Sorry, Putin, but the market is a cold mistress. 😁

Link?

William Anderson5 said:Give me a break. Do you honestly believe nobody is going to take any action just because we might accidentally annoy the madman in Moscow? Are you people serious? Are we all supposed to be hostages to that bald guy's whims?

Look, this isn't some joke or a video game simulator. We are talking about WW3—the actual end of civilization here. What exactly is your problem? Everyone needs to cool off and get back to the negotiating table, period.

Nathan Johnson23 said:Just more Russian lies, layer upon layer of them. They didn't "halt" any attacks—they were hammering away all day and night yesterday. The reality is that unlike day one, Ukrainians have tightened up their defense and the Russians are finally hitting a wall.

So here's the deal: the Russians are sending in reinforcements and things are heating up. Sure, the Russians have the edge, and long-term, it’s gonna be a massive struggle for Ukraine to hold out, but the Russians are going to pay a hell of a price for this, especially when they get bogged down in urban combat in the major cities... That first day was basically just maneuvering that worked because they caught everyone off guard with superior tech...

It looks to me like they're actively avoiding that (except in Kyiv). It's still the fog of war, but what's the benefit for Ukrainians if they're just stuck holding isolated cities while the Russians control all the surrounding territory and supply lines? There's no real path to victory there.

electricstag9 said:Adolf Hitler's little scheme to crush the Ukrainian defense within three or four days has already gone up in smoke. As time drags on, he's just going to find himself in an even tighter spot...

And why on earth would you think Putin expected to conquer Ukraine in a matter of days? Did any actual Russian official ever make claims like that? As far as I can tell, it was only the Western experts who were telling Kyiv they had maybe two or three days left; the Russians always maintained they'd stay as long as it took.

Betty Murphy3 said:Still, these are the comments I find most striking—claiming they have no chance while Russians are dropping like flies in the winter.

And that’s exactly what Ukrainians are saying. Is there any photo or video of last night's transporter destruction? It seems highly improbable that air defense wouldn't have captured some kind of footage.

vividtiger72 said:They’ll probably aim for some sort of autonomy for the Donbas, but Crimea? Not a chance.

But honestly, do you really think there's any way they can ever get Crimea back?

Not Crimea, that ship has sailed...
But allowing any further fragmentation of Ukraine is out of the question. Nobody is going to let that happen. It would just open a massive Pandora's box...

Paul Patel95 said:So Zelenskyy is on Twitter claiming Erdogan is gonna shut down the Black Sea access for Russian ships?

https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/stat...64078897774598

Russian warships.
The Turks are just playing both sides, waiting to see which way the wind blows. One minute they’re flirting with the USA, the next they're cozying up to Russia.
Ukraine has been a solid partner for them, so if this drags on, they might just throw a few extra drone orders their way to stay in the game.