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

Grace Bennett6 said:Zelenskyy won 75% of the vote back in 2019. 👍

He missed the majority in only one single region—that's where Peter Proshenko held the ground.

For decades now, the Russians have been clinging to this total fantasy that they’re some kind of unstoppable military superpower.
If they actually lose this, they're going to be facing massive headaches with their territories in places like Kazakhstan.

dustyfalcon122 said:“We need ammunition, not just a ride,”
The Ukrainians are absolutely fired up right now... honestly, it feels like things could go south fast in Kyiv.
Realistically, they’re facing an uphill battle, but unless this whole thing is a massive setup, they're actually dealing out more damage to Russia than anyone anticipated.

And why wouldn't they have a chance? Look, the person standing their ground is always at an advantage; playing on home turf is a massive leg up, period. If the Russians thought they could just stroll right in and be greeted like heroes coming to save the day, then they seriously miscalculated from the jump. Plus, as long as that border between Poland and Ukraine stays wide open, the flow of supplies and hardware keeps coming, and families can get their loved ones to safety, which really helps bolster that sense of security and keeps the fighters' morale from bottoming out.

So, how do those supposedly brilliant Americans actually plan on getting weapons to the Ukrainians? I mean, they'll probably just end up being those same useful idiots we saw back in Syria. 😵
Fighting against Russia until there isn't a single Ukrainian left standing.

Joshua Myers432 said: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.

It doesn't change much right now, since the Russian Black Sea Fleet is in the Black Sea and their Mediterranean fleet is in the Mediterranean. This move only really matters if there is a direct conflict between NATO and Russia. What would actually have an impact immediately is closing the straits to all Russian vessels, effectively cutting off their merchant ships...

Michael Davis10 said:George Hill4

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

Look, someone clearly posted it—just click the link... 😵 or what, is this some top-secret CIA profile? Should we just move this over to the conspiracy theory thread?

swiftjackal11 said:You're stuck in the past. Ukraine is the main topic right now. It is in Europe, too.

Who gives a damn about those people?
The real issue here is you and all this hypocrisy you're peddling. Seriously, have you ever actually shown even half as much passion when it comes to Western aggression?

The process of seizing Russian assets within the European Union has officially begun...

Michael Davis10 said:Wikipedia says they don't, but whatever. Let's just say they don't

But it actually exists at the Volkel military base in the Netherlands.

link

Furthermore—if Russia were to hit any city within the EU or NATO with nuclear weapons—NATO would respond 100%. It’s simple: radiation doesn't respect borders.

Richard Wilson4 said:The real question now is when that money actually hits the ground, what kind of gear it buys, and honestly, whether the Ukrainians even have the trained crews ready to handle it.

That last part... honestly, that feels like the biggest hurdle left. It could happen fast, too.

Jeremy Peterson4 said:Honestly, they probably won't even be able to use them today since it's already pitch black out. Fingers crossed that some more military aid from the European Union rolls in by tomorrow morning.

The howitzers are on their way, but there's more help coming too...
Poland has sent over 60mm mortar launchers along with 1,500 mines.

Ashley Ramirez4 said:It’s starting to feel like the Russians are just going all-in with a brute force approach—from a military standpoint, anyway. I guess they just got lucky that the Ukrainians were pretty much caught off guard and disorganized during those first two days.

Too damn right. It's the same story everywhere—nobody actually wants a war, and in the beginning, most people aren't ready for the reality of it. But sacrifice has a way of shifting things; it builds morale and creates a level of readiness you didn't have before. Once that initial shock wears off, the smoke and the rubble don't scare you anymore—you just start looking for the person responsible. The enemy knows exactly what they've destroyed, but there's a psychological component here that can't be ignored. War psychology is a brutal thing—whoever masters it first usually walks away with the win.

Thomas Nelson25 said:Give me a break.
Think about what actually makes up "Europe" and why it’s arguably the best place on Earth.

Have you seriously not seen the massive lines of people from the EU practically begging to move to China or Russia? Open your eyes.

Paul Patel95 said:No one’s actually blocking the access to the Black Sea (yet). Honestly, looks like it was just some random wishful thinking from Zelenskyy, nothing more

tweet

"Yet." They probably already have a deal in place; it's just that the Turks aren't ready to go public with it because Erdogan is still playing his hand with the negotiations...

Maybe this is all just a little nudge toward the Great Reset. I mean, look at the money printing over the last two years—we haven't seen anything like it in a century or more. Inflation is through the roof, and while that whole COVID panic has started to settle down, stock markets were pumped up to insane levels. Nobody actually has any cash left for anything, yet suddenly, when a war breaks out, everyone acts like there’s plenty of money to go around.

And then, conveniently, nobody can blame the pandemic for the reset, because it’ll just be blamed on the war instead.

Does anyone here have a background in high-level finance who can weigh in? Is this the breaking point that finally tips the scales for our current financial system and society at large?
That would be the moment we see which side Putko is actually playing for.

Henry Lopez10 said: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?

But seriously. What isn't... 😁

Even if that's not the case, it makes for a pretty good movie script. 🙂

If anyone else calls Americans fools around here, they're going to get it.

Laura Scott7 said:I mean, who else is going to flee into the middle of major cities and put civilians right in the crosshairs? That’s basically Military 101—you don't let the fighting get anywhere near urban centers, you definitely don't go running into them to use them as human shields. But sure, the second a shell hits a residential building, suddenly it's all the Russians' fault, right? Just do me a favor and actually check out some actual news sources like RT instead of just blathering on about what you *think* is happening. You can't just make stuff up and call it reality. It doesn't work that way.

In war and in love—there are no rules. Once the gunfire starts, the pleasantries end; you fight simply to survive. At that point, a deep trench and a bit of mud become your closest companions.
And you should definitely keep watching RT. They are—as completely unbiased as they come—surely the most objective source out there. When their founder—for absolutely no reason at all—launches armed attacks and stirs up trouble in another nation, they remain perfectly objective. Of course they do.

Douglas Davis4 said:While the Chinese and Russians might claim they invented the internet, Facebook, and all this modern tech,
it’s actually the brilliant minds in the garages of democratic nations who are truly inventing tools to improve life, producing incredible music, and making great films.

In China and Russia, you can only do exactly what they tell you to do. Period.

Putin can't just go rogue and toss a nuke whenever he feels like it; he needs specific codes and a whole protocol involving multiple people

Honestly, even if he did pull the trigger, who’s actually brave enough to hit back?
It would probably just end the war and force a surrender, kind of like what happened with Japan, and basically flip the entire global order upside down

https://photo.unian.info/theme/11197...v-ukraine.html

A massive collection of photos from Ukraine since the war kicked off.