Russia invades Ukraine

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

If Putin had actually retired the first time he "stepped down" as president, he would have been able to enjoy a lavish retirement while being remembered as one of the best leaders in modern Russian history, bringing stability and prosperity back to Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. Instead he clung to his lust for power and now will be remembered as one of the great villains of the 21st century, and he'll likely leave Russia worse off than when he first took over. Why can't these despotic leaders ever see the forest for the trees?

That's not how sociopathic minds work.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Barnes

Wait… what? You’re my accountant!

I am man of many talents who wears many hats.

[bob-loblaw]

Originally Posted by Redliner

Sarajevo says hi.

Not sure about the daily cost though. $20B seems high but I'm sure it's not cheap.

It's probably $45 trillion rubles tomorrow morning.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Barnes

Wait… what? You’re my accountant!

He can still do your taxes. He'll just do them from an ewok-village style treetop encampment.

[bob-loblaw]

Completely different scenarios when it comes to sanctions, but I imagine China is taking notes and having second thoughts about wanting to invade Taiwan.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by edslunch

Pangolins and bats

apparently racoon dogs are the guilty party according to the latest research, I didnt know there was such a thing let alone you could eat it

[chubeyr1]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

Economically Russia is on a very short time scale, they have to win this in a hurry, they may be less economically tied to the rest of the worlds economy but they are still, like every modern economy utterly reliant on imports, and without the ability to pay for anything even China is going to shut them off.

China is not Putin's ally, they may have some mutual objectives but China is still more concerned about the west than Russia, if Russia is struggling they will cut them loose and pretend to be against this all along, their abstention at the UN was a clear indication they are happy to leave Putin to his fate

Yet if China has an agreement with Russia over Taiwan? The enemy of my enemy.

Once the Ukraine ordeal is done with I could see China moving on Taiwan.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by chubeyr1

Yet if China has an agreement with Russia over Taiwan? The enemy of my enemy.

Once the Ukraine ordeal is done with I could see China moving on Taiwan.

Why would they wait for this to be over?

And why would this encourage them in any way?

[chemgear]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1498117784110309377

[Captaincanada80]

2 of Boxings biggest names Lomachenko & Usyk in the prime of there careers, both fighting on the frontlines. Loma is probably my favorite athlete at the moment and this just makes me love him even more. I'm not a faithful person but ill be praying for him and all the citizens of Ukraine.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/17787...kraine-russia/

[PeteMoss]

Rumours that Belarus is set to enter the war on behalf of Russia. Not surprising.

[_Q_]

Would NATO attack Belarus if this is the case? No direct attack on Russia, but would Russia see that as an act of war from NATO?

[FlameOn]

Seeing the results of the the SWIFT ban already with the Trumpists in the US. Major backpedaling with Tucker Carlson and Fox "News" talking heads now that Putin's cheques are bouncing.

The host of the network’s top-rated show, “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” called the situation between the two nations “a border dispute.” He asked his viewers to question why they should hate Russian President Vladimir Putin. A day later, as a guest on another Fox News show, “The Ingraham Angle,” he echoed a Kremlin talking point about Ukraine being a puppet of the West, saying that Ukraine wasn’t a democracy but “essentially managed by the [U.S.] State Department.”

Hours later, Russia invaded Ukraine in the largest military ground conflict in Europe since World War II.

On Thursday night, Carlson backpedaled, recharacterizing what he had called a “border dispute” two days earlier as a conflict that “could become a world war.”

“It’s a tragedy, because war always is a tragedy, and the closer you get to it, the more horrifying it seems,” he said.

Carlson also shifted his tone on Putin. After Russian troops had invaded and were bombing Ukrainian cities, Carlson said of Putin: “He is to blame for what we’re seeing tonight in Ukraine.”

“Vladimir Putin started this war, so whatever the context of the decision that he made, he did it,” he said. “He fired the first shots.”

https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https://www....t-central-bank

Apparently the major policy shift by the EU to provide Ukraine with arms and banning Russia from SWIFT came when Zelensky made an impassioned address to EU leaders. Zelensky singlehandedly changed entrenched policy stances of even the most stubborn EU leaders and is fighting alongside troops in Kyiv. Guy is a hero to his country.

Then Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dialed into the meeting via teleconference with a bracing appeal that left some of the world-weary politicians with watery eyes. In just five minutes, Zelensky — speaking from the battlefield of Kyiv — pleaded with European leaders for an honest assessment of his country’s ambition to join the E.U. and for genuine help in its fight with the Russian invaders. Food, ammunition, fuel, sanctions — Ukraine needed its European neighbors to step up with all of it.

“It was extremely, extremely emotional,” said a European official briefed on the call. “He was essentially saying: ‘Look, we are here dying for European ideals.”

Before disconnecting the video call, Zelensky told the gathering matter-of-factly that it might be the last time they saw him alive, according to a senior E.U. official who was present.

https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https://www....t-central-bank

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by chubeyr1

Yet if China has an agreement with Russia over Taiwan? The enemy of my enemy.

Once the Ukraine ordeal is done with I could see China moving on Taiwan.

If the 'west' had basically allowed Russia free reign but done nothing and Russia had rolled over the Ukraine with the speed of the US taking out Iraq I would agree, but the west has completely pulled together, dropped an economic nuke on Russia regardless of the consequences to its own economy as well post Communist era tanks and aircraft have proved to be rubbish against the most minimal of western anti tank and anti aircraft kit

China now has to factor in a massive economic fall out to any plans for Taiwan and the real possibility that their forces are as ill equipped and inept as the Russians in reality, we have no idea if Russia's apparent utter lack of command and control is because it has been taken out by cyber attacks from the west, while Russia and China dont share kit anymore but they share a lot of technology derived from older soviet gear, for the Chinese whether Russia prevails or not the lesson is it's too soon to make a play for Taiwan and also that Russia is not powerful enough to waste political capital on.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

If Putin had actually retired the first time he "stepped down" as president, he would have been able to enjoy a lavish retirement while being remembered as one of the best leaders in modern Russian history, bringing stability and prosperity back to Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. Instead he clung to his lust for power and now will be remembered as one of the great villains of the 21st century, and he'll likely leave Russia worse off than when he first took over. Why can't these despotic leaders ever see the forest for the trees?

Probably turn this one over to the experts

Originally Posted by Locke

I've transitioned my PhD in Forests to specialize in Forest-based Warfare.

Originally Posted by DoubleK

We should be best friends I have a degree in forestry and was a RPF in Ontario.

Locke, DoubleK - one of you got this one?

[tony-soprano]

Originally Posted by Captaincanada80

2 of Boxings biggest names Lomachenko & Usyk in the prime of there careers, both fighting on the frontlines. Loma is probably my favorite athlete at the moment and this just makes me love him even more. I'm not a faithful person but ill be praying for him and all the citizens of Ukraine.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/17787...kraine-russia/

Usyk about to get wrecked by Fury and Loma always been overrated af. But it’s awesome to see them on the front lines in support like the Klitschko bros.

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by chemgear

https://twitter.com/user/status/1498117784110309377

Good, hunger drives revolution.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

Good, hunger drives revolution.

This is all going to go so poorly for the Russian citizens

[Captaincanada80]

Originally Posted by tony-soprano

Usyk about to get wrecked by Fury and Loma always been overrated af. But it’s awesome to see them on the front lines in support like the Klitschko bros.

If you include an amature boxing record of 396-1, 2 gold medals, and having 2 professional losses in 18 fights despite facing only top competition & fighting for titles in your 2nd fight, all while moving up 2 weight classes. Likely will becoming a unanimous champion his next fight which only 30 people have done.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

This is all going to go so poorly for the Russian citizens

Russia may be a dictatorship but Putin still worries about his popularity, there are ways Russians can encourage him to back off and so save themselves the pain