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

George Hill4 said: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.

Long-term? Yeah, there's no future in that. But the whole point is hitting the Russians hard enough that their own people start turning on him. You need that domestic resistance to actually grow.
Because once those coffins start coming back to Russia, a dragging war isn't doing anything for Putin...

And look, so far, Russia hasn't even grabbed massive amounts of territory or the big hubs. And Ukraine isn't just Kharkiv and Kyiv—there are hundreds of cities. These places tie down huge Russian forces that then can't push further West. Sure, you might get a few pockets, but you can't have every single major city acting as an isolated pocket for Ukrainians to hide in.

Thomas Nelson25 said:Man, I wouldn't even go there as a tourist.

Look, nobody is forcing you to go anywhere, but if you're really struggling to find a decent travel destination, maybe give Haiti a shot instead.😉

William Anderson5 said:Russia still hasn't established air superiority in Ukraine, so deliveries are technically feasible.

😵🤣

neonheron9 said:Sounds pretty terrifying when you listen to it, but honestly, I have no clue how much weight there actually is behind those claims or if they'll even work.

Nah, honestly, that DDoS attack they launched yesterday was basically it.

neonheron9 said:Slovaks sending fuel and ammo over to Ukraine

https://twitter.com/Ondrejcsak/statu...sLeyo7KFEaNFHw

"- 2.4 million liters of aviation fuel"

That is a massive amount of fuel—what on earth are they going to 🤔🤔
It just goes to show Ukraine still has plenty of planes ready to go, but man, that is a huge pile of fuel.

Russ saboteurs are leaving markers at various sites to help with navigation or targeting

https://prnt.sc/7aZ20RfGYtLR

Honestly, the sooner Russia wraps things up in Ukraine, the better off we all are. Once the Russians get their own government settled in there, maybe we can actually see some peace again. We just have to ride out these sanctions for a few more months and then hopefully that's that. But man, every single day that Ukraine keeps fighting instead of surrendering, the risk just climbs higher—we’re looking at a potential slide into WWIII or, at the very least, a total economic meltdown for everyone over in Europe.

William Anderson5 said:If that's the case, why didn't the Russians just sanction themselves? Didn't they want to get stronger...

Give me a break. "Imposing sanctions on themselves"? What are you actually trying to say here?

https://www.rt.com/business/550705-c...ussia-finance/

Carl Cook said:Link?

https://www.france24.com/en/live-new...ases-bloomberg

briskheron said:Russ is playing dirty.
They’ve really gone too far this time. From what I can gather, they'd be facing the death penalty in any US state for doing something like this.
https://mobile.twitter.com/ukrainain...41987808993295

Propaganda is something else

William Anderson5 said:And what exactly are we supposed to do if that lunatic actually triggers WW3? Is there anything we can even do at that point? Send him a psychiatrist?...

Stop poking the bear more than necessary. Is that really such a difficult concept to grasp? And yeah, by all means, send the psychiatrist if you can get one through the door.

I’d love to see you out on a street corner, playing the hero when you run into some massive, armed psycho staring you down. I bet all that bravado would vanish pretty quickly.

I just saw a report over at N1 suggesting that Ukraine might actually shut its borders to everyone tomorrow.

Here’s a weird little detail I caught: the reporter is asking everyone questions in American, yet they keep responding in Ukrainian.

Rachel Allen55 said:Give me a break. "Imposing sanctions on themselves"? What are you actually trying to say here?

So you're telling me that sanctions are actually making them stronger, rather than doing anything to stop me...🤣

Paul Patel95 said:Word on the street is they're already pulling the trigger on kicking Russia out of SWIFT

Nobody is going to go that far.

Kevin Murphy7 said: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

And launch it against whom, specifically? Target Kyiv? That’s practically in his own backyard. Target a city in the European Union? That triggers an immediate Armageddon. Right then and there.

Ukrainians are literally throwing themselves in front of the machine to stop the invaders

Jesse Harris6 said:I honestly can't wrap my head around why the Russians are so incredibly fixated on Ukraine.
If they were just looking for a target to vent all that misplaced aggression on, they would have been much better off picking a fight with the Scandinavians or the Baltic states, who—let's be honest—likely harbor far more resentment toward them than anyone in Ukraine ever could.

Now, there is the real question. I wouldn't say it’s the Russian people who are enraged; it's Putin. Why is he so incensed? It likely stems from his ego—this desperate need to be feared by everyone. On the flip side, he's staring down a young comedian who spent his time openly mocking and trolling him. Putin clings to power through elections of questionable legitimacy, whereas this comedian was chosen by citizens from a pool of actual candidates in a legitimate democratic race. Now, Putin wants to demonstrate raw, unbridled force to this comedian, yet the whole spectacle looks pathetic—more desperate than ever before. It seems his biggest headache is realizing that the comedian actually has massive grassroots support. He is supported because the people chose him. This blatant assault on Ukraine will unify those citizens more effectively than anything else. Meanwhile, Putin grows increasingly detached from the very people he rules, becoming more isolated within The Kremlin every single day.

It’s exactly what Putin predicted: liberal democracies are soft, led by weaklings, and just plain full of losers. From his "alpha male" worldview, why would you ever fear a nation run by a senile old man and a pack of smug hyenas who care more about hitting diversity quotas in the military—putting a trans woman in command just because she fits a checklist—than actually being ready for a fight? And don't even get me started on those pathetic, clownish recruitment commercials they put out.

And let's not forget about bloated, lazy Europe. They aren't willing to sacrifice an ounce of their own comfort to isolate Russia until it bleeds out, and they certainly won't step up to do anything meaningful. It isn't just about Ukraine, either; look at the pressure they're putting on full EU members like Sweden and Finland.

While the West spends all its time marching in ridiculous parades and encouraging men to act more feminine, it’s no wonder someone like Putin looks at us the way Germans looked at the US before World War I: just a bunch of weaklings and playboys.

If things were any different, they would have already made a move to sneak into Belarus and trigger the collapse of the Lukashenko regime.

bullseye13 said:So, if we don't see eye-to-eye with you, we're suddenly Russophiles... 😵

It’s the exact same logic—if you aren't backing the Republican Party, you must be a Communist. Honestly, do you really think you get to decide what everyone else is allowed to think or say?

Oh, please. It's not about deciding; it's just that based on what people actually say and do, we'll know exactly which label to slap on them.