It’s kicking off

Russian police arrest over 1000 protesters

Alexei Navalny, has been poisoned and arrested and still had this documentary released 

His wife has been arrested as well. 

Some serious minerals on this chap 

Edited February 27, 20224 yr by Rudy

Putin really needs assassinating

1 hour ago, Cheese said:

He blamed Zelenskyy for starting the war last week. Ukraine are fucked if he wins.

Did he specifically say that, or that NATO spread put fear into Putin?

I've heard the latter said before, but not the former. 

Neither are accurate obviously, but to blame the Ukrainians is astonishing. 

Just hope he looses.

25 minutes ago, Winchester White said:

The appeasement of Russia on this forum astounds me. Some folk are either blinkered or know nothing of history. Maybe even the present day for that matter.

Dimron has always held this view, and I've been critical of it.

A perverse approach to ending a conflict: give the aggressor/invader whatever they want. It simply won't end well.

The suggestion in some parts that Putin has been scared by NATO expansion doesn't wash neither, as there have always been members on the doorstep- it was just the USSR's doorstep then, when they had occupied several other nations.

There will still be NATO countries on the border if he took Ukraine!

NATO has never invaded another country, in a dictatorial, aggressive manner. 

10 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Did he specifically say that, or that NATO spread put fear into Putin?

I've heard the latter said before, but not the former. 

Neither are accurate obviously, but to blame the Ukrainians is astonishing. 

Just hope he looses.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/17/trump-zelenskyy-biden-russia-ukraine-war-blame-00184173

“He should never have let that war start. The war’s a loser,” Trump said, referring to Zelenskyy, on a podcast with conservative commentator Patrick Bet-David published Thursday. The former president added that President Joe Biden had “instigated that war,” which he has repeatedly maintained “would never have happened” if he had been president.

For the record 

Thogdad is/was a Putin supporter 

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/dont-criticise-putins-russia-1003176

 

5 minutes ago, Zico said:

For the record 

Thogdad is a cunt

EFA

17 minutes ago, Cheese said:

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/17/trump-zelenskyy-biden-russia-ukraine-war-blame-00184173

“He should never have let that war start. The war’s a loser,” Trump said, referring to Zelenskyy, on a podcast with conservative commentator Patrick Bet-David published Thursday. The former president added that President Joe Biden had “instigated that war,” which he has repeatedly maintained “would never have happened” if he had been president.

Hmm, reading that, he doesn't explicitly blame VZ, but seems to be hedging his bets to suit his position.

Typical weasel words from Tango man.

"He should never have let that start" is a bizarre thing to say, as it makes no sense, as with so much of his ramblings.

Not sure what VZ could have done to stop it!

On a slight tangent, I'm pretty sure we've just witnessed Starlink satellites cruising over us- pertinent with this conflict. Perhaps both Putin and Trump could be put into orbit on their own and left to give each other reacharounds for eternity. 

Meanwhile in Moldova...

Prime Minister Mala Sandu has won a referendum on directing her country towards EU membership (no doubt NATO will follow) at the expense of Russian allegiance by a very narrow majority indicating a 50-50 split between east and west leanings in its population.

Not certain whether this referendum included the breakaway state of Transnistria where a Russian garrison is historically based.

Moldova spends just 0.4% of its GDP on defence with 6,500 armed personnel, has annual inflation of over 25% and 25% of its citizens live and work abroad.

These politicians see the EU and NATO as some sort of easy fix to their problems at home and believe they can pull on the Russian Bear's tail with immunity as we will always back them with our advanced weaponry although it might leave them with no towns and cities worth living in anymore.

I know my views are not popular but it is time for a reality check.

 

14 minutes ago, Zico said:

For the record 

Thogdad is/was a Putin supporter 

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/dont-criticise-putins-russia-1003176

 

Almost 20 years old that article.

It is possible that he now has a different view!

If anyone follows his lad, can they ask him?

1 hour ago, Dimron said:

Meanwhile in Moldova...

Prime Minister Mala Sandu has won a referendum on directing her country towards EU membership (no doubt NATO will follow) at the expense of Russian allegiance by a very narrow majority indicating a 50-50 split between east and west leanings in its population.

Not certain whether this referendum included the breakaway state of Transnistria where a Russian garrison is historically based.

Moldova spends just 0.4% of its GDP on defence with 6,500 armed personnel, has annual inflation of over 25% and 25% of its citizens live and work abroad.

These politicians see the EU and NATO as some sort of easy fix to their problems at home and believe they can pull on the Russian Bear's tail with immunity as we will always back them with our advanced weaponry although it might leave them with no towns and cities worth living in anymore.

I know my views are not popular but it is time for a reality check.

 

So because Russia has nukes we have to suck their dick? 

1 hour ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Dimron has always held this view, and I've been critical of it.

A perverse approach to ending a conflict: give the aggressor/invader whatever they want. It simply won't end well.

The suggestion in some parts that Putin has been scared by NATO expansion doesn't wash neither, as there have always been members on the doorstep- it was just the USSR's doorstep then, when they had occupied several other nations.

There will still be NATO countries on the border if he took Ukraine!

NATO has never invaded another country, in a dictatorial, aggressive manner. 

My view always was (and still is) to avoid war at all costs, this is one of the very few areas where I agree with Trump. We in the UK encouraged this conflict to happen especially as our then PM wanted his Churchill/Thatcher moment... Mr Johnson ignored an arranged phone call with Putin just prior to the invasion as he preferred to address the 1922 Committee, which in my eyes was unforgivable.

I have also recently been on record stating that as a war of attrition is firmly established and grinding on (as I originally feared it would) we now need one of the sides to tip the balance and provide a victory... i really don't care which side "wins", we just need it over and done with. All this drip drop of arms supply is just prolonging the pain, we need to decide even if it means "boots on the ground".

Regarding Mr Zalensky, I would remind him that his primary role is to protect his citizens and his actions pre-war certainly did not achieve this.

 

15 minutes ago, Winchester White said:

So because Russia has nukes we have to suck their dick? 

I suspect we will be prone to sucking Eastern European dicks if we don't get our acts together

Deary me

23 minutes ago, Dimron said:

My view always was (and still is) to avoid war at all costs, this is one of the very few areas where I agree with Trump. We in the UK encouraged this conflict to happen especially as our then PM wanted his Churchill/Thatcher moment... Mr Johnson ignored an arranged phone call with Putin just prior to the invasion as he preferred to address the 1922 Committee, which in my eyes was unforgivable.

I have also recently been on record stating that as a war of attrition is firmly established and grinding on (as I originally feared it would) we now need one of the sides to tip the balance and provide a victory... i really don't care which side "wins", we just need it over and done with. All this drip drop of arms supply is just prolonging the pain, we need to decide even if it means "boots on the ground".

Regarding Mr Zalensky, I would remind him that his primary role is to protect his citizens and his actions pre-war certainly did not achieve this.

"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last."

20 minutes ago, Dimron said:

I suspect we will be prone to sucking Eastern European dicks if we don't get our acts together

So you'd have handed Poland over to Adolf in 1939, expecting that would be the end of it?

34 minutes ago, Dimron said:

My view always was (and still is) to avoid war at all costs, this is one of the very few areas where I agree with Trump. We in the UK encouraged this conflict to happen especially as our then PM wanted his Churchill/Thatcher moment... Mr Johnson ignored an arranged phone call with Putin just prior to the invasion as he preferred to address the 1922 Committee, which in my eyes was unforgivable.

I have also recently been on record stating that as a war of attrition is firmly established and grinding on (as I originally feared it would) we now need one of the sides to tip the balance and provide a victory... i really don't care which side "wins", we just need it over and done with. All this drip drop of arms supply is just prolonging the pain, we need to decide even if it means "boots on the ground".

Regarding Mr Zalensky, I would remind him that his primary role is to protect his citizens and his actions pre-war certainly did not achieve this.

 

You can't have counties invading other sovereign nations for territorial gain, ever. To do so is an act of war. Anything else is window dressing.

12 hours ago, Cheese said:

So you'd have handed Poland over to Adolf in 1939, expecting that would be the end of it?

No

Read what I said

12 hours ago, Not in Crawley said:

You can't have counties invading other sovereign nations for territorial gain, ever. To do so is an act of war. Anything else is window dressing.

Agreed but we should have done more to try to avoid the invasion.

Now it has happened, half hearted measures just prolong the agony of war... as I have said one side needs to win so the world & Ukraine can move on... I obviously prefer it would be our team.

2 minutes ago, Dimron said:

Agreed but we should have done more to try to avoid the invasion.

Like what?

We had plenty of notice.

Talk to the Russians to find out what was getting under their skin and lay out what we and Ukraine wanted. I have touched on the Russian concerns many times.

After all of the death and destruction, we still have to talk somehow to sort it all out.

There is a saying that making war is easier than making peace

3 minutes ago, Dimron said:

We had plenty of notice.

Talk to the Russians to find out what was getting under their skin and lay out what we and Ukraine wanted. I have touched on the Russian concerns many times.

After all of the death and destruction, we still have to talk somehow to sort it all out.

There is a saying that making war is easier than making peace

As I posted above, there is a saying "An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.". If you believe Putin could have been convinced not to invade Ukraine, without handing over swathes of their territory undefended, you're deluded.

34 minutes ago, Cheese said:

As I posted above, there is a saying "An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.". If you believe Putin could have been convinced not to invade Ukraine, without handing over swathes of their territory undefended, you're deluded.

The fact is Putin believes Ukraine is Russia and it always has been even after the break up of the Soviet Union. He wants the old Soviet Union back and he doesn't care what the West thinks. And given that many major powers are now in Russia for the BRICS summit just shows that its not just a case of do what the Western powers (or rather America) says or else.

1 hour ago, Not in Crawley said:

The fact is Putin believes Ukraine is Russia and it always has been even after the break up of the Soviet Union. He wants the old Soviet Union back and he doesn't care what the West thinks. And given that many major powers are now in Russia for the BRICS summit just shows that its not just a case of do what the Western powers (or rather America) says or else.

Kiev was certainly Russian when I visited many years ago... isn't it a seat of Russian Orthodoxy? Mussorsky wrote about the Gates in his works.

BRICS... usual suspects, China, India, Brazil, Iran... interesting that the UAE is a member, hedging their best i suppose.

The world is now breaking down into major trading/military blocks and you need to be in one of them or be out in the cold

2 hours ago, Cheese said:

As I posted above, there is a saying "An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.". If you believe Putin could have been convinced not to invade Ukraine, without handing over swathes of their territory undefended, you're deluded.

I recall Putin suggested a demilitarised zone of some description... this is probably where it will all end up.

Trouble is, the longer it goes on the more difficult negotiation becomes... if Zalensky concedes territory there is a danger the Ukrainians will ask "what was all that for?" and he is in danger of ending up swinging from a lamp post.

6 minutes ago, Dimron said:

I recall Putin suggested a demilitarised zone of some description... this is probably where it will all end up.

Trouble is, the longer it goes on the more difficult negotiation becomes... if Zalensky concedes territory there is a danger the Ukrainians will ask "what was all that for?" and he is in danger of ending up swinging from a lamp post.

Surely you don't genuinely believe Putin will withdraw if Ukraine agrees to a "demilitarised zone"?