How should west respond to potential (likely) Russian invasion of Ukraine?

[Loren Pechtel]

I care about whom the UN recognizes as sovereign

I don't care about UN, UN can go to hell.

Yes, this is the difference between you and I. I want to live in a world that is governed by laws and internationally accepted rules. You do not. You want a world decided by might is right.

Which laws? The one which allows US to blow gas pipelines left and right while UN says "We have no jurisdiction to investigate that" ?

Check with your superiors and try to keep your stories straight. Russian MoD blamed the Brits for blowing up Nord Stream.

Based on past behaviour, I'm about 90% convinced Russia was behind the Nord Stream sabotage. But I'm willing to keep that 10% benefit of doubt until evidence surfaces either way. What I'm absolutely sure about though is that Seymour Hersh's yarn about Norway being behind the attack is 100% bullshit.

I remain unconvinced because I can't see what they hoped to accomplish. I can't see anyone who benefits.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Continued Illegal occupation of parts of China and Cuba.

Occupying China????

Figured this one out last night--and you have it utterly backwards.

You're obviously considering Taiwan as US-occupied, but the reality is that Taiwan is the original government of China, the mainland is occupied by the communists. It's an unresolved civil war.

 

[Ford]

What I find notable, is people here engaging with Barbie as if he was an honest broker.

What I find equally notable is that even after all this time, he hasn't conceded anything that goes against Moscow's propaganda. Not even a "you might have a point, but..."

Just full on party line all the time. Like he has a minder checking his work to ensure it is "correct."

 

[Jayjay]

Note that the situation in Ukraine is the same--we are arming them, it's effectively impossible for Russia to win other than by genocide.

"I can work with that." - Vladimir Putin

 

[Elixir]

What I find notable, is people here engaging with Barbie as if he was an honest broker.

What I find equally notable is that even after all this time, he hasn't conceded anything that goes against Moscow's propaganda. Not even a "you might have a point, but..."

Just full on party line all the time. Like he has a minder checking his work to ensure it is "correct."

Agreed. He tends to disappear after trying to defend his divergences from reality - like they’re telling him “You ain’t paid to think about these things -here are your lines. You can think about other unrelated things to make it look like you are a smart thinker. But NOT about Putinistan!”

 

[lpetrich]

Rep. Lauren Boebert shows which side she is on:

PatriotTakes on Twitter: "Lauren Boebert: “It is shameful when President Zelenskyy comes to the people’s house of the United States, your United States Capitol, in a sweatsuit and flies the Ukrainian flag. That’s absolutely disgraceful.” (vid link)" / Twitter

In fairness, male politicians almost always wear only business suits when on the job. The only exception I know of is a partial exception, Rep. Jim Jordan, who often goes jacketless.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

What I find notable, is people here engaging with Barbie as if he was an honest broker.

I'd rather commune directly with Russian Hitler but Joseph Goebbels isn't too shabby.

I regularly return to this thread but if I see any responses to Barbie I don't even read them. The person is Putin's jester. Centuries of terrorism, Heikegani crabs, selection pressure, no legacy of law, you get the idea.

 

[Patooka]

Note that the situation in Ukraine is the same--we are arming them, it's effectively impossible for Russia to win other than by genocide.

"I can work with that." - Vladimir Putin

I don't think he can. The world notices when white people are genocided. And I seriously doubt Russia's military can actually perform an Exterminatus on Ukraine; it's just too degraded.

 

[TV and credit cards]

What I find notable, is people here engaging with Barbie as if he was an honest broker.

What I find equally notable is that even after all this time, he hasn't conceded anything that goes against Moscow's propaganda. Not even a "you might have a point, but..."

Just full on party line all the time. Like he has a minder checking his work to ensure it is "correct."

And is paid per response? Yeah, I get that. And knows to jump in and out of the conversation less people tire of him and stop responding. Yeah, I get that too.
Or maybe I’m wrong and he’s just some guy spewing a bunch of offensive nonsense and a bunch of people can’t help but pick him up like a copy of The National Enquirer.
Either way…

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Note that the situation in Ukraine is the same--we are arming them, it's effectively impossible for Russia to win other than by genocide.

"I can work with that." - Vladimir Putin

I don't think he can. The world notices when white people are genocided. And I seriously doubt Russia's military can actually perform an Exterminatus on Ukraine; it's just too degraded.

Russia has that power, but they have yet to fully embrace the scorched earth policy on Ukraine.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

Partisans in Belarus destroy Russian AWACS plane.

.....
BYPOL, the Belarusian partisan organisation, said it had used drones to strike the Machulishchy airfield 12km from Minsk, severely damaging a Beriev A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft (Awacs).
“One of the nine Awacs of the Russian aerospace forces worth $330m (was destroyed),” the group said. “These were drones. The participants of the operation are Belarusians. (They have attained) ‘Victory’ and are now safely outside the country. Everyone has escaped.”
....

Belarus partisans say they blew up Russian plane near Minsk

Group says it used drones to hit early warning aircraft at Machulishchy airfield 12km from Minsk

www.theguardian.com

 

[TV and credit cards]

I hope they get confirmation on that A-50 being scrap. The War Zone wrote a bit about it, their supply and its successor, the A-100.

 

[Jayjay]

Partisans in Belarus destroy Russian AWACS plane.

.....
BYPOL, the Belarusian partisan organisation, said it had used drones to strike the Machulishchy airfield 12km from Minsk, severely damaging a Beriev A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft (Awacs).
“One of the nine Awacs of the Russian aerospace forces worth $330m (was destroyed),” the group said. “These were drones. The participants of the operation are Belarusians. (They have attained) ‘Victory’ and are now safely outside the country. Everyone has escaped.”
....

Belarus partisans say they blew up Russian plane near Minsk

Group says it used drones to hit early warning aircraft at Machulishchy airfield 12km from Minsk

www.theguardian.com

Good for them.

Belarus is at a crossroads. They're de facto occupied by Russian military and their leader sold the country to Putin to stay in power. Only way they can remain (or become?) a sovereign state is by mass insurrection. Maybe not right now, but in the next 5-10 years.

If Putin has its way, Belarus will be annexed by Russia in few decades. You can expect the same tirade from Russian propagandists that Belarus has never been a real country, or have had any kind of culture or language of their own, and anyone who says otherwise is a russophobe who's on payroll of CIA and the State Department.

 

[Tigers!]

What I find notable, is people here engaging with Barbie as if he was an honest broker.

What I find equally notable is that even after all this time, he hasn't conceded anything that goes against Moscow's propaganda. Not even a "you might have a point, but..."

Just full on party line all the time. Like he has a minder checking his work to ensure it is "correct."

Barbos is probably the minder for a few others. The trick is always toi avoid be fooled by your own propaganda. Barbos has failed there.

 

[Patooka]

Russia has that power, but they have yet to fully embrace the scorched earth policy on Ukraine.

Convince me Russia has that power.

 

[Elixir]

If Putin has its way, Belarus will be annexed by Russia in few decades.

Putin won't be having any way at all in few decades. In fact I'd bet he won't be having his way for one decade. One year is more likely IMO.
In a few decades he'll almost certainly be a goner.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

I hope they get confirmation on that A-50 being scrap. The War Zone wrote a bit about it, their supply and its successor, the A-100.

Apparently their A-100 project is dead in the water due to lack of money, and problems with developing modern technology. And what they do have has to cover an immense land mass, along the border with China for example. They can't throw all they have at Ukraine.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

Putin put Shoigu, a loyal yes man in charge of the Ukraine invasion. Neither Putin nor Shoigu have high level military training. I think I see Russia's problem.

 

[Ford]

Putin put Shoigu, a loyal yes man in charge of the Ukraine invasion. Neither Putin nor Shoigu have high level military training. I think I see Russia's problem.

Russia has many problems.

Over the weekend, I listened to this story from Reveal on NPR. Intercepted cell phone calls from Russian soldiers invading Ukraine. How did they get this?

The (Ukraine) government and military were doing very clever signals intelligence. So, if they pick up a bunch of Russian numbers clustered in one place, they can figure out where the enemy troops are and attack them. So, the Russians eventually wise up to this and ditch their Russian phones, but they just can’t give up that itch to stay connected. So, they take those stolen Ukrainian phones, pass them around, and a bunch of guys call home from one number. Of course, the Ukrainians were still listening, and they intercepted those calls whenever they ping a Ukrainian cell tower. These conversations provided really important intelligence to the armed forces of Ukraine, and now there are also potential evidence for war crimes prosecutors.

The Russians dying in this "glorious special military operation" are losing their lives because they (and their leaders) are stupid. Of course the country you're invading is going to ping your cell phone signals. Of course they're going to know where you are if you use phones you stole from the Ukrainians you killed.

But Putin doesn't care. They're just cannon fodder for him.

 

[Jayjay]

If Putin has its way, Belarus will be annexed by Russia in few decades.

Putin won't be having any way at all in few decades. In fact I'd bet he won't be having his way for one decade. One year is more likely IMO.
In a few decades he'll almost certainly be a goner.

But he'll likely be replaced by some other dick who continues with the same agenda.