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

William Anderson5 said:Why wouldn't they? International law basically doesn't mean much anymore when you're dealing with Russia...

Montreux Convention

Sam Wright21 said:Perhaps. But when you're living under a tyranny, you can't exactly speak your mind. Yet, you see plenty of people admiring him; here in the States, we have the freedom to discuss it openly, which leads some to openly express support for Putin.🤦

A putin bullet might be the only cure. It makes me wonder again—where exactly will this Hitler figure stop in Europe? America created chaos on a global scale, and now NATO seems to serve little purpose.

They are cut from the same cloth. Honestly, Marshall was a genius for coming up with the Non-Aligned Movement.

Is this going to get sanctioned on the forum?

A bullet to a head of state?

What if someone calls for a bullet to the head of Zelensky, Orbán, or Plenković?

Would that be tolerated?

gentleharbor3 said: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.

How much more trade does China do with Russia compared to the European Union? Maybe ten times as much?

I suppose the number of wars worldwide would drop significantly if we actually forced the ruling elites to step up to the front lines themselves.

Kevin Murphy7 said:The issue back then was that the US was viewed as this "renegade nation," and the opposing propaganda painted it as a brand new fascist state in Europe—something nobody would ever get behind.

To make matters worse, you had certain extremist groups using old fascist symbols leading the charge on the front lines, specific figures blowing up planes, and leaders slapping old regime patterns on the flag.

Who in their right mind in the West would support that?
That’s why you don't see those Nazi symbols in the Ukrainian ranks anymore, at least not publicly. It would only serve to validate Putin's claims about "cleansing Ukraine of fascists."

Comparing those neo-Nazi Ukrainian battalions to the HOS fighters is akin to comparing Mike Tyson to toddlers in a nursery, yet I observe that long-term support remains unquestioned.

The West preferred the old status quo, whereas strong, independent nations that refuse to act as subordinates are unwelcome. Powerful, sovereign states represent economic and political competition, and bullies inherently loathe losing money or seeing their victims find someone to call for protection. A mafia thrives on unchecked plunder and detests any form of competition.
The Chinese also produce goods that are both incredibly cheap and high quality; thus, after a century of fairy tales about free markets and competition, we suddenly find ourselves facing tariffs and illegal sanctions. Free trade apparently only exists as long as the British and Americans maintain a monopoly. The moment someone begins producing better items at lower costs, we see bans, bombings, the theft of bank funds and patents, sanctions, and tariffs.

William Clark86 said:That's it. Well done. 👍

Precisely. This is how the big games are played in the shadows.
Putin has devolved from an authority figure into nothing more than an irrational madman, essentially a modern-day Hitler.
Both out here in the West and back in Russia.

Checkmate. The king is falling. I’d bet anything his successor is already being lined up.

Sam Wright21 said:Perhaps. But when you're living under a tyranny, you can't exactly speak your mind. Yet, you see plenty of people admiring him; here in the States, we have the freedom to discuss it openly, which leads some to openly express support for Putin.🤦

A putin bullet might be the only cure. It makes me wonder again—where exactly will this Hitler figure stop in Europe? America created chaos on a global scale, and now NATO seems to serve little purpose.

They are cut from the same cloth. Honestly, Marshall was a genius for coming up with the Non-Aligned Movement.

Why not just admit you're against free speech?

Sanctioning Russia just makes them feel even more independent from everyone else. What are you even going to have left to use for sanctions next time?

Everything needs balance. Even this whole situation is a delicate balancing act. Do people honestly think Americans are ready to start seeing layoffs because of these sanctions? First, it’ll be direct hits on companies doing business with Russia, and then it spirals—indirectly, then again indirectly—as businesses in other countries shut down, eventually triggering a massive crisis within the West.

And don't even get me started on the refugee issue. You'll end up with representatives in government who will have plenty to say, much like the folks in Denmark, whether it's the New Citizenry types or that nutjob Paludan. If you could hear their ideologies... they spout all this nonsense about Aryan races and claiming you're only "true" American if your family tree is 80% local heritage, counting grandparents and all that.

Am I really supposed to want a lunatic or a party like that sitting in our Parliament just because of Ukraine? To me, Ukraine isn't worth that much; it's an oligarchic state where a handful of people run the show, corruption is everywhere, and they still have some glaring questions left over from the USSR era that haven't been cleared up.

If nationalism starts taking over in the West, both the EU and NATO are toast. You wouldn't find two countries within the EU that could actually agree on anything. And all of this just for Ukraine?

What has Ukraine actually contributed to Western prosperity? Seriously, what? Nothing.

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

So what does that mean? Does that make Erdoğan a dictator after all?
If he had actually closed them, he probably would have been hailed as a democrat and a darling of the West...

🤣🤣🤣It

Freedom for Americans? Please. A dictator kills his own people, stifles the media, and people disappear if they dare speak out against him...
Oh, look at us democrats, let's rush to impose sanctions on Erdoğan immediately...

Richard Cooper3 said:I mean, this is still nothing compared to what an actual full-scale invasion would look like. If Russia had come at them with everything they had, the casualties on both sides would be way higher. If that happened, then maybe I'd actually believe those Ukrainian reports about losing a few thousand Russians.
Russia is trying to handle this a different way too, but I guess it might already be too late for any of that. They'll probably have to hit harder if they want to wrap up this war, which, you know, has been dragging on for eight years now.

German outlets are saying even the West doesn't get why Russia is only using a small fraction of the troops they've got stationed along the border with Ukraine

northernangler8 said:I mean, let's be real—even Putin isn't crazy enough to just march into Poland only to find himself walking straight into a trap. It’s just not how he operates. At the end of the day, I guess the ones who are actually going to suffer through the fallout of all this are the Ukrainians.

Look, it wasn't about Putin showing up personally; he should have sent representatives instead.

He wouldn't even set foot in Minsk.
You can tell he's paranoid enough that he won't even meet his own ministers unless they're at least five miles apart.😬

Besides, these kinds of meetings are usually held on neutral ground. He could have suggested a sixth country entirely, rather than picking an ally involved in all of this.

gentleharbor3 said: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.

Yeah, I guess what you're saying is a lot more grounded in reality than my take was... unfortunately.

Douglas Davis4 said:It takes more than a few days to ignite a nation, but it looks like the Russians aren't just going to stroll through the streets without a fight.
Zelensky seemed in good spirits this morning. No fear visible... the resistance is massive, and honestly? It was totally unexpected.

Resistance is only going to ramp up as Ukraine gains momentum. Meanwhile, Putin’s getting twitchy and is likely gearing up to throw heavier weaponry into the mix with the next waves. He’s stuck in the mud now; there's no turning back. This whole thing is headed straight for total war.

I don't know if it's just rumors flying around—but Orban said he's actually going to back all the sanctions against Russia. Honestly, closing off the Bosphorus would be a massive blow to Putin. And who knows? The Chinese might just toss him under the bus sooner or later.
Cutting off Russian banks from SWIFT would basically be checkmate for him.

He totally walked himself right into this mess for no reason at all... 🤦

Carl Lee27 said:And if that happened, we’d be looking at a legitimate Article 5 situation.
Plus, looking at how things are playing out in Ukraine, I honestly think the Turks could hold their own against them in a conventional conflict.

Maybe the Americans would just end up being pushed right out of Ukraine. I don't think people realize this isn't even the full force of the invasion yet. If Vladimir Putin actually went all out, it would be a total disaster.
And honestly, what does Russia even need the Bosphorus for right now, since all the vessels that need to be in the Black Sea are already where they need to be? ☕
It seems like the main goal is just encircling the Ukrainian forces in the east, cutting off their access to the sea, and surrounding Kyiv—which basically means they've already crossed the Dnieper.

How much actual power does Lukashenko really wield in Belarus? It’s obvious that with the Russians stationed there right now, he’s basically untouchable. But if things start going south for Russia, nobody is going to step in to save him in Moscow—instead, Lukashenko might just end up meeting the same fate as Mussolini.

Grace Bennett6 said:Montreux Convention

As if that actually matters. You can't just cling to conventions like they're gospel when much larger interests are at play...

nimbletiger7 said:Oil and gas prices even dropped yesterday because people realized Putin has to sell more fuel now just to fund the war. It seems Russians are selling oil at a $12 discount compared to Brent.

The guy's got nukes, sure, but his economy is a total wreck.
At this rate, even the Chinese are gonna walk all over him and snatch up his oil and gas for pennies on the dollar.

Anthony Taylor393 said:I mean, what exactly was Russia doing over in the Caucasus during the 1800s? 🍿

I will ask once more: could you please name just one of the ethnic groups that were massacred?

Sam Alvarez4 said: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...

Unfortunately, the box is already wide open.