Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

Andrew Miller102 said:What did you expect,😁 for an American to praise "Russians who just fight their own wars and don't care much about casualties."

When you look at the epic American fiasco in Afghanistan, there’s only one realistic reaction left, and it’s probably better to hear it from someone who was actually on the ground rescuing people during that absolute chaos of a withdrawal. If you can understand English, everything becomes quite clear. Essentially, you're witnessing killings and executions right in front of your eyes while nobody helps, and to top it off, the Taliban are practically laughing in your face.☕

This wasn't a military failure—it was a political one, unlike that Russian mess. If the Americans actually had the stomach to seize parts of Afghanistan by force—and if they actually gave a damn about the Afghan civilians—they could have secured those territories in three days flat, ensuring no Taliban ever set foot there again. The true debacle lies in the political delusion—the naive assumption that you can take a medieval Islamic wolf pack and somehow transform them into a functioning democracy overnight. It’s a level of idealism that seems to plague almost every Western politician born after the war—a recurring theme that figures like Helmut Schmidt and Henry Kissinger often pointed out with varying degrees of frustration.

zeljko_ri said:I suppose the true metric for being classified as a global superpower is essentially how quickly you can invade a country and devastate hundreds of thousands of lives—just look at what happened in Iraq. If that’s the benchmark we're using, then the Russians still have quite a bit of studying to do; they aren't even remotely close to being a superpower yet.

Don't give me that—they haven't been engaged in direct military conflicts where they've slaughtered hundreds of thousands of civilians, nowhere near what the Russians did in Chechnya, for instance. But then again, if you look at the fallout from the wars since 2003, we’re talking about anywhere from 100,000 to a million deaths—so, by extension, they bear their own share of responsibility for that tragedy.

When it comes to the slaughter of civilians—and let’s be honest, even if the number of Iraqi casualties caused by Americans in Mosul was likely ten times higher than what the official US figures suggest—nobody actually holds the Russians to that same standard. It’s a strange sort of double standard, isn't it? They always seem to compensate for their staggering lack of tactical precision against actual armed forces by simply leaning on sheer, overwhelming quantity—whether we're looking back at Chechnya in the 90s, the chaos in Syria, or now, the various cities across Ukraine.

zeljko_ri Asks: The only thing truly pathological here is trying to deny such an overwhelming number of casualties—or, conversely, being so sanctimonious about this blatant act of aggression against a sovereign nation. Honestly, what can you even say? It’s just one side witnessing the fallout caused by the other.

It’s honestly pathological—this desperate attempt to equate Russian aggression with the misguided foreign policy of the USA or even the West as a whole. Is it really necessary to draw such a false equivalence?

Back on February 15, 2003, there was this massive wave of dissent—according to police estimates (not the organizers, mind you, who usually inflate those numbers)—where about 500,000 people took to the streets in Berlin to protest the war. In Rome, the crowds were even more staggering, reaching nearly a million. It stands as arguably the largest peace demonstration in Western history. If you look outside the West, though? You can basically forget such a thing would ever happen. And the irony of it all remains striking: these protests were happening even when everyone knew the regime in Iraq was run by a mass murderer—a far cry from the situation in Ukraine, where we actually have a democratically elected president. To top it off, just a day before the invasion, Gerhard Schröder had already addressed the public in a televised speech. In that TV speech—if you can even call it that—everything changed. He actually argued that there was no legitimacy for this war because of the sheer number of casualties one should expect. Honestly—just picture someone like Alexander Lukashenko, or some other Russian proxy, addressing their citizens on national television like that on the very day the invasion of Ukraine begins. It’s pure science fiction.

The fundamental failure of the West—specifically the US—was that George W. Bush and his entire inner circle (think Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, Colin Powell, and Condoleezza Rice...) never actually faced a courtroom. Now, the disastrous fallout from Iraq, along with the chaos in Libya and Syria, serves as perfect fuel for the pro-Russian narrative that imperialist policies are being applied everywhere. Regardless of what their actual intentions were, Americans didn't invade Iraq with the goal of seizing territory or forcing "Americanization" on the population. That is precisely what Russia is doing in Ukraine, legitimizing its actions through Vladimir Putin’s "blood and soil" Nazi ideology—an ideology he conveniently laid out in his invasion speech. It’s the exact same set of "arguments" used by Radovan Seselj back in the early 90s. They lack a language, they lack a history, they are Nazis, and they supposedly have no right to exist—which, by the way, remains the prevailing sentiment among many Mexicans today, who are now glorifying this Russian aggression based on those very "parallels."

No matter how corrupt American foreign policy becomes, both Obama and Trump managed to win elections partly because they promised to wrap up the wars the US is entangled in. This is exactly the dilemma Joe Biden faces now; how can he confront Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping when these post-Middle East adventure wars have become so incredibly unpopular at home? A political option like that is nothing more than a pipe dream for the Russians, given that they essentially have a Hitler in power. The cult of personality, the "Z" symbol, the "blood and soil" rhetoric, the visually striking opposition leaders ending up in prison or graves, the obsession with reclaiming "lost" territories... it all fits perfectly into their playbook.

loneskipper3 said:This wasn't a military failure—it was a political one, unlike that Russian mess. If the Americans actually had the stomach to seize parts of Afghanistan by force—and if they actually gave a damn about the Afghan civilians—they could have secured those territories in three days flat, ensuring no Taliban ever set foot there again. The true debacle lies in the political delusion—the naive assumption that you can take a medieval Islamic wolf pack and somehow transform them into a functioning democracy overnight. It’s a level of idealism that seems to plague almost every Western politician born after the war—a recurring theme that figures like Helmut Schmidt and Henry Kissinger often pointed out with varying degrees of frustration.

Don't give me that—they haven't been engaged in direct military conflicts where they've slaughtered hundreds of thousands of civilians, nowhere near what the Russians did in Chechnya, for instance. But then again, if you look at the fallout from the wars since 2003, we’re talking about anywhere from 100,000 to a million deaths—so, by extension, they bear their own share of responsibility for that tragedy.

When it comes to the slaughter of civilians—and let’s be honest, even if the number of Iraqi casualties caused by Americans in Mosul was likely ten times higher than what the official US figures suggest—nobody actually holds the Russians to that same standard. It’s a strange sort of double standard, isn't it? They always seem to compensate for their staggering lack of tactical precision against actual armed forces by simply leaning on sheer, overwhelming quantity—whether we're looking back at Chechnya in the 90s, the chaos in Syria, or now, the various cities across Ukraine.

But the bolded part is true. I don't get why you'd mix this up with the conflict between the US and its rivals; it makes no sense.

silverpuma82 said:But the bolded part is true. I don't get why you'd mix this up with the conflict between the US and its rivals; it makes no sense.

So what, are we just supposed to believe Ukrainians don't even exist now?

Here is an extensive interview with Dmytro Kuleba, if anyone is interested.

https://lb-ua.translate.goog/pravo/2..._x_tr_hl=en-US

gentlerider7 said:So what, are we just supposed to believe Ukrainians don't even exist now?

Well, if you ask Vladimir Putin and his band of followers, Ukrainians are just Russians—plain and simple—which is exactly why they're conducting this so-called "special military operation" in what they consider to be a Russian province: Ukraine.

https://www.akorda.kz/en/phone-conve...-michel-464718

So, during a chat with Charles Michel, the President of Kazakhstan basically said that Kazakhstan is ready to "turn on the tap" to help stabilize prices and make sure there's enough supply to keep the European Union happy.

The thing is, Kazakhstan is sitting on more oil than you can shake a stick at; the real headache is that Russia pretty much controls the shipping routes for Kazakh oil headed toward Europe. Given how they tend to treat former USSR nations, it was actually "suggested" to them back when the pipelines were being built that they just hand over construction and management to ExxonMobil and Chevron.

hollowdriver13 said:https://www.akorda.kz/en/phone-conve...-michel-464718

So, during a chat with Charles Michel, the President of Kazakhstan basically said that Kazakhstan is ready to "turn on the tap" to help stabilize prices and make sure there's enough supply to keep the European Union happy.

The thing is, Kazakhstan is sitting on more oil than you can shake a stick at; the real headache is that Russia pretty much controls the shipping routes for Kazakh oil headed toward Europe. Given how they tend to treat former USSR nations, it was actually "suggested" to them back when the pipelines were being built that they just hand over construction and management to ExxonMobil and Chevron.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s sudden Copernican shift over the last few months perfectly aligns with China's recent announcement regarding the construction of energy and transport routes through Kazakhstan toward Europe.
There is simply no way Tokayev would have found this kind of courage unless Beijing sent word that he is now under their protection.
Look at this: The President also called on The European union to cooperate in developing alternative transcontinental corridors, including the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route
These Chinese strategic plans represent a devastating blow to Russia.

It is quite fascinating how this "leaked" into the press. Not even through WikiLeaks, mind you, but just... out in the open.
High-profile leaders within the European Union are pointing fingers like frantic children, insisting that Vladimir Putin is the sole architect behind the chaos looming this fall. However, I find myself skeptical that the average American will simply swallow such a narrative. As they say, you can't polish a turd.

Brandon Clark4 said:It is quite fascinating how this "leaked" into the press. Not even through WikiLeaks, mind you, but just... out in the open.
High-profile leaders within the European Union are pointing fingers like frantic children, insisting that Vladimir Putin is the sole architect behind the chaos looming this fall. However, I find myself skeptical that the average American will simply swallow such a narrative. As they say, you can't polish a turd.

I mean, obviously he's the one at fault here. Neither Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, nor Emmanuel Macron started this war.

Brandon Clark4 said:It is quite fascinating how this "leaked" into the press. Not even through WikiLeaks, mind you, but just... out in the open.
High-profile leaders within the European Union are pointing fingers like frantic children, insisting that Vladimir Putin is the sole architect behind the chaos looming this fall. However, I find myself skeptical that the average American will simply swallow such a narrative. As they say, you can't polish a turd.

See, there you go—they've already "explained" exactly why you're the one in the wrong.

George Robinson43 said:Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s sudden Copernican shift over the last few months perfectly aligns with China's recent announcement regarding the construction of energy and transport routes through Kazakhstan toward Europe.
There is simply no way Tokayev would have found this kind of courage unless Beijing sent word that he is now under their protection.
Look at this: The President also called on The European union to cooperate in developing alternative transcontinental corridors, including the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route
These Chinese strategic plans represent a devastating blow to Russia.

I mentioned a couple of months ago that China would do whatever it takes to screw Russia over. It makes perfect sense for them to build pipelines from Kazakhstan to the European Union at their own expense; it breaks Russia's leverage while they simultaneously buy energy from Russia at dirt-cheap prices. Since no one else will be ramping up industrial production or sending cash to the West to fund their militaries—and we know how much China is pouring into its military expansion—they get the best deal in town.

China saw this coming at least a year or two ago. I started sensing something was off when I noticed the insane amounts of wheat China was pulling from the USA, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, and Argentina, all while waiting for the Olympics to pass... I can't say for sure, but I'm convinced this whole war situation is a windfall for China. They act like they're watching Russia's back, but they're actually just exploiting the chaos without offering any real support.

Xi Jinping is just playing Putin. Let's be real: China doesn't like Russia one bit. Their history isn't pretty, but that's beside the point. Today, China is the most aggressive global power on the planet, and they'll walk over anyone to secure their dominance.

Remember that guy whose son was one of the casualties from the ship in Moscow? You know, the one where the Russian authorities were basically playing games and lying through their teeth about how his kid actually died? Well, man, this guy has had the most wild transformation—he went from being a total pro-Putin troll to actually fighting in the legion for Ukraine. It’s an absolutely incredible turnaround. Check out the thread here.

Russia's genocidal War against Ukraine , and The results of Putin's entire reign of terror and Lies , All told in One insane , horrific and disgusting Story of One Russian family
It begins with this post by Dmitry Shkrebets , The father of a Russian sailor aboard the warship Moskva... https://t.co/t7Sq0ATbK5

Brandon Clark4 said:It is quite fascinating how this "leaked" into the press. Not even through WikiLeaks, mind you, but just... out in the open.
High-profile leaders within the European Union are pointing fingers like frantic children, insisting that Vladimir Putin is the sole architect behind the chaos looming this fall. However, I find myself skeptical that the average American will simply swallow such a narrative. As they say, you can't polish a turd.

So, basically, if I hit you with a baseball bat and you end up in the ER, it's somehow your fault because you gave me a dirty look? Is that how we're playing this? 🤣

gentlestag15 said:So, basically, if I hit you with a baseball bat and you end up in the ER, it's somehow your fault because you gave me a dirty look? Is that how we're playing this? 🤣

Look, here's the actual logic: she was walking around in a tiny little skirt near the courthouse, which pretty much invited the whole mess, then things went south during the assault, and she just turned on me. Honestly, what else was I supposed to do?

goldenowl73 said:Look, here's the actual logic: she was walking around in a tiny little skirt near the courthouse, which pretty much invited the whole mess, then things went south during the assault, and she just turned on me. Honestly, what else was I supposed to do?

That comparison only works in an ideal world. Sometimes you just have to be smart—don't walk through dark alleys in a mini-skirt or withdraw cash from an ATM while a group of punks is lurking right behind you.
It doesn't excuse the attacker; it's simply about being smart enough to reduce your own risk. Russia is the aggressor, the occupier, and an imperialist power. However, if they are your neighbors, you have to play your cards more carefully to prevent this kind of thing from happening. That’s the plain truth. And again, Russia is the aggressor, and there is absolutely no justification for occupation.

analogbear70 said:That comparison only works in an ideal world. Sometimes you just have to be smart—don't walk through dark alleys in a mini-skirt or withdraw cash from an ATM while a group of punks is lurking right behind you.
It doesn't excuse the attacker; it's simply about being smart enough to reduce your own risk. Russia is the aggressor, the occupier, and an imperialist power. However, if they are your neighbors, you have to play your cards more carefully to prevent this kind of thing from happening. That’s the plain truth. And again, Russia is the aggressor, and there is absolutely no justification for occupation.

Besides the ones you mentioned, we should've been smart enough not to let a "third" power in Europe pack their bags and dance to whatever tune Joe Biden, Douglas MacArthur, or Slobodan Maddox were playing.

analogbear70 said:That comparison only works in an ideal world. Sometimes you just have to be smart—don't walk through dark alleys in a mini-skirt or withdraw cash from an ATM while a group of punks is lurking right behind you.
It doesn't excuse the attacker; it's simply about being smart enough to reduce your own risk. Russia is the aggressor, the occupier, and an imperialist power. However, if they are your neighbors, you have to play your cards more carefully to prevent this kind of thing from happening. That’s the plain truth. And again, Russia is the aggressor, and there is absolutely no justification for occupation.

Finland basically gave up on all that "playing it smart" nonsense because they realized it didn't mean a damn thing to Vladimir Putin.

goldenowl73 said:Finland basically gave up on all that "playing it smart" nonsense because they realized it didn't mean a damn thing to Vladimir Putin.

And don't even get me started on the Baltic states, who basically only managed to protect themselves from those stinking troops by being proactive and making the decision to join NATO back in 2004.

goldenowl73 said:Remember that guy whose son was one of the casualties from the ship in Moscow? You know, the one where the Russian authorities were basically playing games and lying through their teeth about how his kid actually died? Well, man, this guy has had the most wild transformation—he went from being a total pro-Putin troll to actually fighting in the legion for Ukraine. It’s an absolutely incredible turnaround. Check out the thread here.

Russia's genocidal War against Ukraine , and The results of Putin's entire reign of terror and Lies , All told in One insane , horrific and disgusting Story of One Russian family
It begins with this post by Dmitry Shkrebets , The father of a Russian sailor aboard the warship Moskva... https://t.co/t7Sq0ATbK5

The text is excellent; here is the full translation:

The Great American Tragedy—the culmination of everything resulting from Vladimir Putin's entire reign of terror and lies—is all laid bare in one singular, insane, and utterly revolting narrative centered on a single Russian family. It all begins with a post from Dmitry Shkrebets, the father of a Russian sailor stationed aboard the cruiser Moskva...

Dmitry is absolutely devastated, caught in this suffocating loop of confusion and rage. The Department of Defense had the audacity to tell him that the entire Moscow garrison was evacuated following the fires, but he isn't buying any of it. "Nothing but shameless, cynical lies!" he fumes. It’s personal now; his son was drafted, a kid who should have been anywhere else but on the front lines of this mess.

His son, George, has vanished. His commanders are still breathing, yet they refuse to give him any clarity on what actually happened to him. He lashes out at them, calling them nothing but incompetent, desperately pleading for even the slightest scrap of information regarding George's whereabouts. One commenter has stepped forward, offering to help spread the word and amplify the news. When asked if he supports the special operation, his answer is blunt: "Yes."

Dmitry supports the war. Before George vanished, his father's social media feed was absolutely saturated with those Z symbols. In the beginning, the rage felt deeply personal, rather than being directed at Vladimir Putin or his military campaign.
Even the Ukrainian commenters are weighing in now. They’re reaching out to him with this unsettling sort of cheer, eagerly sharing updates on exactly where his son is stationed and what kind of fish he’s feeding these days.

Dmitry refers to them as nothing more than animals, clearly hoping they’ll feel the full weight of Mother Russia's wrath.
Soon enough, however, Dmitry begins to uncover the actual truth of the situation. George is dead. Moscow is underwater. He’s set to receive seven million rubles in state compensation, and it’s clear that his mental stability is simply evaporating right before our eyes.

I follow the news, and with every passing headline, I find myself sinking a little deeper into cynicism.
They’re claiming that Russia has performed yet another "act of good faith" by withdrawing from Snake Island. Is there actually any truth to that? Because if it’s real, it just means they’ve betrayed our sons all over again. It’s pathetic—trading away our boys just to secure some cheap concessions. You jackals are truly contemptible.

Does he actually support the war, or is he just throwing a tantrum because things aren't going his way?
Is he actually furious that the war even started in the first place?
Who can say for certain? Dmitry is a man fueled by resentment and a deep sense of loss. It is abundantly clear that he simply doesn't care about the consequences of his own actions.
And then, yet another shock to the system.
His wife went out to run some errands, just a routine trip to the store, and then she simply vanished.

He isn't picking up his phone, and every single one of his accounts has been frozen; he hasn't the slightest clue what actually went down.
And then, the realization hits you like a freight train. She had swiped every cent of the settlement money along with the entire life savings, and just vanished without a trace.

Now he’s left entirely to his own devices, left alone to sit with nothing but his own simmering rage.
And now, we finally arrive at the final act.
I’ve finally reached the point where I can no longer stomach the lies. Everything has become painfully clear. I knew the truth deep down a long time ago, but I simply lacked the courage to admit that I was part of the problem. I stood by and supported a war that should never have been waged, and now, I am paying the ultimate price. My family is gone.
There was only one right way to handle this, and I went ahead and made my move.

To everyone following my journey: I am no longer in Russia. I have moved on to a third country and am currently making my way toward Ukraine, where I intend to join the Free Russian Legion. They are expecting me. Finally, everything has fallen into its proper place.
Dmitry has set his sights on fighting against Russia.

A father, once a loyal follower of Putin, transforms into a pro-Ukrainian fighter with nothing left to lose but his life.
His wife and mother end up as thieves and fugitives on the run.
The teenager becomes a corpse.
This is Putin's Russia at its absolute finest.
Enjoy the spectacle.

One commenter suggested this would make a perfect screenplay starring Liam Neeson in the lead role.

Amanda Allen4 said:Well, if you ask Vladimir Putin and his band of followers, Ukrainians are just Russians—plain and simple—which is exactly why they're conducting this so-called "special military operation" in what they consider to be a Russian province: Ukraine.

Putin can label this aggression however he likes, but relying solely on political rhetoric is a dead end. On a deeper level, this is a confrontation between the USA and Russia. We can debate who pulled the trigger first—personally, I’d say the Americans, and not by any stretch of the imagination recently. The stakes are massive: on one side, you have the American global monopoly on both military and financial power; on the other, Russia's struggle to remain a global superpower. Every resource will be deployed as needed, barring nuclear weapons (let's hope). It is tragic that Europe isn't capable of actively defending its own interests, so it will inevitably pay a heavy price.