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

rowdytiger13 said:Slovakia is shipping out artillery shells and fuel worth about $12 million.
That includes 12,000 rounds of 120mm ammunition, 10 million liters of diesel, and 2.4 million liters of jet fuel.
The Netherlands is sending 200 anti-aircraft missiles—specifically Stingers, per Kyiv's request.
The Czech Republic is providing weapons and ammo valued at $9.2 million, and they’ve made it clear this isn't their last move; more is on the way.
Meanwhile, the State Department has been ordered to release $350 million in funds to support Ukraine.
The Slovakian government is also chipping in with military gear like helmets, rifles, and ammunition.
granitebison keeps the weapons flowing.
Germany isn't even worth mentioning.

I mean, if Russia lets all this stuff through right past their tech, maybe they're just asking for it.

Moscow's National Theater Director Resigns Over Russian Aggression Against Ukraine: "I Refuse to Work for a Murderer!"

So many people in Russia are fundamentally opposed to Putin's insane decisions, but let's be real—it’s not exactly easy to speak your mind publicly when the government is ready to drag you through the streets just for protesting.

rowdytiger13 said:And apparently, everyone is just jumping at the chance to spit on them.

I'm with you on that.

The absolute worst offenders in this whole mess are the German Green Party. Their youth wing is so radicalized that they’ve actually included calls to dismantle NATO straight into their political platform.

First, they obstruct the shipment of weapons to Ukraine, and then, working hand-in-hand with their coalition partners, they block any meaningful, heavy-hitting sanctions against Russia.

briskbear51 said:Does everyone really have to start every single thought with "I'm not a fan of Russia, but..."?
🤦

I'm certainly no fan of Mom's side of things, though.

Laura Scott7 said:Look, it’s pretty simple if you actually bother to look at the big picture: Russia is just looking out for its own backyard, especially after being backed into a corner by NATO constantly pushing its borders right up against Ukraine. Putin laid out the terms clearly—he wanted a guarantee that Ukraine wouldn't be joining NATO, plain and simple. But instead of taking that seriously, these folks got way too cocky, acting like Russia was some minor player in the Middle East that they could just push around. Now, they’re trying to flip the script and spin this whole thing to make it look like Russia just attacked Ukraine out of nowhere without any provocation. Give me a break... what a joke. And don't even get me started on those EU sanctions; as if they’ll actually do anything when half the stuff they produce is already being bought up by India and China anyway. But hey, the absolute best part of this circus? The USA won't even stop importing oil because heaven forbid they actually try to do something to keep energy prices from skyrocketing, right? Total joke.

Precisely my point!
The Western "democracies" follow a very specific, practiced modus operandi: they fund local activists and NGOs, organize protests, and eventually transform those individuals into politicians. Once they have helped facilitate their campaigns, they install their own particular system of "values" once they take power. We really ought to have understood this pattern back when similar tactics were used here in the States at the turn of the millennium; only a fool would believe that events like the Orange Revolution or the Arab Spring weren't backed by foreign interests, much like our own domestic protests over various trivialities.
Putin essentially just said, "Fine, do whatever you want, just not in my neighborhood."

Putin basically breathed life back into NATO. If this war drags on for even ten more days, he’ll have succeeded in turning the entire world against him. By next year, his victory parade in Moscow will probably only have two guests showing up: Vučić and Lukashenko.
(Dave, February 26, 2022 2:16 PM)

Putin is digging his own grave.

Rebecca Lewis7 said:Vladimir Putin is contemplating nuclear escalation against the Fed, yet the Russians were the ones who initiated the aggression first, so how does one interpret that? They are acting like savages... completely irrational.

Does anyone here honestly expect the Russians to simply sit there and take it while their economy is being dismantled without any counter-measures or retaliatory sanctions? It is a rather absurd expectation.

One should not issue threats unless one is fully prepared to execute them and risk a broken hand or a black eye in the ensuing brawl.

The Russians tend to deliberate extensively before making a move, but once they commit, they are unstoppable; the more sanctions applied, the harder they strike. When they finally decide to act, they don't stop to calculate the cost or hesitate—they see things through to the end regardless of the price, so I certainly wouldn't advise trifing with them,, and no person of sound mind would engage them in such a manner.

Naive, gullible fools need to wake up from their fairy tales and face reality; otherwise, they will end up wailing just like the Ukrainians are doing now, asking "how could this happen?" or "why us?" and begging for comrades to help.A collection of useless "allies" is nowhere to be found when it actually matters.

Look at what happens when people fight back like the former Georgian president did; what kind of support did Georgia actually receive from those useless allies? They ended up with a broken state and zero actual assistance. Or consider the "allies" in Afghanistan, wandering aimlessly through the country while the women in ninja units are left to thank those useless Western powers for their "support."

These so-called allies only offer support as long as there is a clear financial incentive or an opportunity for extra profit; the moment real costs begin to mount, they suddenly become deaf, blind, and invent all sorts of excuses to claim they bear no responsibility.

The Russians are doing terrible things to Ukrainians.

The proposed $6.4 billion emergency aid package for Ukraine appears to have both Democratic and Republican backing.

Out of that $6.4 billion total—I suppose we should look at the breakdown—$3.5 billion is earmarked for military aid via the Pentagon, while the remaining $2.9 billion is intended for economic and humanitarian support.

Way to go, America!

The White House asked Congress on Friday to provide $ 6.4 billion to Help Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion, according to multiple reports.

The funding would be divided—with $3.5 billion directed to the Pentagon and $2.9 billion allocated toward security assistance, humanitarian relief, economic stabilization, and regional initiatives—an administration official told Axios.

"As The President and bipartisan members of Congress have made clear , The United States is committed to supporting The Ukrainian People as They defend their country and democracy," Office of Management and Budget said in a statement.

Laura Scott7 said:Look, it’s pretty simple if you actually bother to look at the big picture: Russia is just looking out for its own backyard, especially after being backed into a corner by NATO constantly pushing its borders right up against Ukraine. Putin laid out the terms clearly—he wanted a guarantee that Ukraine wouldn't be joining NATO, plain and simple. But instead of taking that seriously, these folks got way too cocky, acting like Russia was some minor player in the Middle East that they could just push around. Now, they’re trying to flip the script and spin this whole thing to make it look like Russia just attacked Ukraine out of nowhere without any provocation. Give me a break... what a joke. And don't even get me started on those EU sanctions; as if they’ll actually do anything when half the stuff they produce is already being bought up by India and China anyway. But hey, the absolute best part of this circus? The USA won't even stop importing oil because heaven forbid they actually try to do something to keep energy prices from skyrocketing, right? Total joke.

If it’s such a problem, why didn't they just attack NATO instead of Ukraine?

I guess—if you want to call it that—it’s just more of the same nonsense. Maybe we should expect better, but I doubt it.

Lola 27 said:Not one single woman—regardless of her height—has ever sparked a conflict of epic proportions, while those absolute degenerates have been running around causing chaos for hundreds of years.☕I guess the whole thing about size might actually matter—it's probably significant.☕

They never even had the chance. If they did—I guess—these man-handling women with tiny chests would be just the same, if not worse. Just look at those so-called "feminists."

Paul Patel95 said:tweet

The US is seriously looking at hitting Russia's central bank with sanctions. We're talking about $634 billion

NEWS: I'm hearing the US is eyeing sanctions on Russia’s central bank, a massive move targeting most of the $643b in reserves Putin has hoarded

No final call yet, but the administration wants to coordinate with European allies to make sure this hits as hard as possible.

Blacklisting Russia's central bank would be without precedent for an economy this size

This would be absolutely "devastating" for Russia, according to
@tashecon
“We would see the ruble crash.”

How exactly?

Are they just going to set it all on fire? 🤔

rowdytiger13 said:BoJo:
To the People of Ukraine : slava Ukraini.
To the people of Russia: I don't think this war actually represents you.

https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson/sta...18170671128584

God, those hair choices. 🤣🤣🤣
Everything else aside. 🙏🙏

Handsome—well, compared to how I looked in my younger days, back when I actually had hair and hadn't started thinning out or resorting to the buzz cut. 😁

Sam Alvarez4 said:And will that actually get them Crimea and the Donbas back?

Where you're from, most people can't even find peace.

urbanotter said:That’s just your personal take on it.
In my experience, a Chinese person will try to squeeze a discount out of everyone, always pushing for the absolute maximum possible.

Personally, I don't feel an ounce of guilt when I buy a stock in a product I use every single day; if the price is right, I'm in.

It’s not a "take"—it's just reality, between sanctions coming from one side or... well, everyone else... except maybe China.
The rest of the market is just left hanging.

..if the war ends up costing Russia a fortune and draining them dry, China is gonna come knocking for their favors... you've got nobody left to sell to, you're facing a political crisis... fine, I'll buy it, but *I* set the price.
There's no such thing as an alliance or brotherhood here... forget about it.

Zachary Reyes6 said:Now, this might be an exaggeration—but honestly, it really isn't good that Ukraine isn't being led by an ethnic Ukrainian at this moment. Especially when you consider the deep-seated antagonism between the Ukrainian peasantry and the Jews in that region, which stretches back through all of history.

🤦

I guess that tension is exactly why he managed to pull in 75% of the vote.

Betty Carter3 said: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.

Maybe check history again—kings and emperors used to be right there in the thick of it. 😬

Can we really call these weapon shipments anything other than direct interference in the conflict? I mean, if this keeps up, could the fallout hitting the Netherlands, Slovakia, and Poland be something they’ve never even witnessed in their entire history?
Or was the little guy just talking nonsense?

These comments supporting Ukraine are honestly repulsive.
If there's one thing I learned a long time ago, it's that Americans can be incredibly foolish when it comes to choosing which side to back.

Amanda Hughes37 said:This is getting serious... though, honestly...😲

Fine, sure—but if we're talking about economic sanctions, they could have gone after everything. All those Russian actors would be out of a job for nothing if there wasn't any way to monetize their nonsense.