Russian invasion of Ukraine

[Kul]

Zanny Minton Beddoes, the editor of The Economist, just summed it up nicely:

This week, as Russian forces streamed into Ukraine from three sides, we turned our cover leader over to a condemnation of Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin. This conflict is entirely of his making. In the fighting and the misery that is to come, much Ukrainian and Russian blood will be spilled. Every drop of it will be splattered on his hands. Mr Putin has launched an unprovoked assault on the sovereign country next door. He is obsessed with America and NATO, the defensive alliance to Russia’s west. And he is trampling the principles that underpin peace in the 21st century. That is why the world must inflict a heavy price for his aggression

Where will he stop?

I’ll be on the first flight to Tallinn to get my military kit if he steps one foot over the Narva river.

 

[Kaito]

Long live Russia & her allies

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

China is not 'completely capitalist', it is a command economy. There had of course been economic liberalisation from Deng Xiaoping onwards, to the extent that there was a proliferation of billionaires, but under Xi Jinping this is increasingly being wound back. Wherever the market is considered a threat to the Party, it is kept in check.

China is a weird hybrid of communism and crony capitalism.

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Long live Russia & her allies

 

[Tim Sheens]

As I recall Putin invaded when Obama was in the Oval Office and got slapped with a feather. So why wouldn’t he wait for his next opportunity.
The Ruble has spiked , but the Moscow index is off nearly 50%, wiping $150b of their exchange.

As I recall late in his presidency, Trump, who is a convicted Rapist and Felon went against the wishes of his own military and allies, particularly the concerns raised by NATO and Ukraine for fears of this exact situation evolving, by departing the Open Skies surveillance agreement.

 

[trentrunciman]

The shelling over the last 8 years has hardly been one way. Ukraine has had every right to try to defend its borders. Russian speaking Ukrainians have been at the forefront of those trying to defend Ukraine's sovereignty from the Moscow backed rebels this whole time.
There was zero chance that Ukraine was going to be joining NATO any time soon, it is a joke to use this as justification for an invasion.

Ukraine we’re very unlikely to join NATO but that doesn’t mean the “carrot” wasn’t dangled by the west. That’s one of the main reasons for this casus belli. The US has been propping them up with weapons and funding for almost a decade now man ala a Pax Americana

 

[trentrunciman]

Maybe not Bratislava and Budapest, but if I was in Estonia or Moldova I would definitely be worried given you and others have already used the presence of 'ethnic Russians' as justification for invasion.

We shall see, I’m definitely of the opposite opinion because there there is far more recent historical geopolitical significance for Russia in the Ukraine than there is in Estonia or anywhere else. I don’t see NATO interfering and then I cannot see Russia crossing past the Dnieper river,

 

[Geo]

Sad state of affairs..

 

[earl]

Ukraine we’re very unlikely to join NATO but that doesn’t mean the “carrot” wasn’t dangled by the west. That’s one of the main reasons for this casus belli. The US has been propping them up with weapons and funding for almost a decade now man

There is no excuse for invading the Ukraine and stopping Ukraine from joining NATO is a terrible excuse.

This is a simple matter of a crazy autocratic dictator invading another country because he doesn't want to look bad because his country is a mess.

The support from the usual right wing morons astounds me. That includes Trump, who is a convicted Rapist and Felon and Fox news.

 

[TheDaBoss]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGeFVtLo1RA

 

[Spartan117]

Heartbreaking.

Life is already hard and some just want more. How much is enough>??

 

[jadtiger]

It's all wrong, including our country profiting on the back of the bombarded sick and starving in Yemen by selling military equipment to the Saudis.

Britain is probably the worst as they have long been a haven for dark Russian money and the response from their PM in parliament this week has been laughable, apart from the lies.

Boris has been a consistent pathetic excuse for a PM in the UK since he parked his posterior at number 10 Downing Street.Even many in his own party want him removed

 

[Cobarcats]

Let Ukraine join NATO. Putin you are a bully.
The old days are over, move on.
Spend money on poverty stricken regions in your country instead if making bombs.

 

[jadtiger]

Zanny Minton Beddoes, the editor of The Economist, just summed it up nicely:



Where will he stop?

I’ll be on the first flight to Tallinn to get my military kit if he steps one foot over the Narva river.

I assume you have an Estonian background,many years ago i knew a man who fled to France when Stalin invaded/annexed the 3 Baltic states.He moved to Australia in the 40s

 

[Tiger5150]

Yes true. America is weak atm, that’s a given. America don’t have the gonads to do anything. Looks like Communism is growing again. And the West, dictated by the minorities will just report, make online statements and put their heads in the sand. Lets see how this pans out, will get much worse before it gets better. Some scary times ahead, we have to be weary of Hitler 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0. And it’s a obvious who these 3 are.

Russia is not a communist country.

 

[twentyforty]

Let Ukraine join NATO. Putin you are a bully.
The old days are over, move on.
Spend money on poverty stricken regions in your country instead if making bombs.

That’s a nice thought Cobar, but I think for many of the political class, they are caught in a continual game of oneupmanship in which the lives of innocent people are disregarded.

 

[Tiger5150]

Communism is dead. China and Russia are completely capitalist.

Ummm,......not sure you understand capitalism,.....or communism.

China is completely communist. The own all the methods of production and distribution. Yes they participate in markets, but are completely communist.

 

[Tiger5150]

As I recall Putin invaded when Obama was in the Oval Office and got slapped with a feather. So why wouldn’t he wait for his next opportunity.
The Ruble has spiked , but the Moscow index is off nearly 50%, wiping $150b of their exchange

 

[Kul]

I assume you have an Estonian background,many years ago i knew a man who fled to France when Stalin invaded/annexed the 3 Baltic states.He moved to Australia in the 40s

Yes.
Very Estonian.

If he moved to Australia then it’s extremely likely that he knew my grandfather.
What was his surname?

 

[InBenjiWeTrust]

Ukraine we’re very unlikely to join NATO but that doesn’t mean the “carrot” wasn’t dangled by the west. That’s one of the main reasons for this casus belli. The US has been propping them up with weapons and funding for almost a decade now man

Like everything, nothing on this world is black and white, and there are always shades of grey.
1) From Russian position, an objective point is that they will be surrounded with the NATO countries and their missiles would need to fly only 500km to hit Moscow. That would be an equivalent to China build military bases in Mexico, Cuba, Canada or West Indies.

2) Ukraine, like all ex-USSR non Russian countries have strong (and justified) resentment against Russia, and they all celebrated when the USSR crashed and subsequent split - they were finally free. Even during the WW2 all of those countries accepted German troops as liberators, until the SS started with their nazi Übermensch policies. Having this recent experiences, all of these countries want to join the NATO (and form some sort of alliance with the US) ASAP, as a guarantee against another Russian occupation.

On the other hand. like any sovereign country Ukraine has the right to run their foreign policies the way they want, and the same applies to Cuba, Canada or Mexico. What if the left government wins in these countries and they want to "strengthen" their relationship with Russia, and Russia starts to build their military bases in these countries?
Or another example, NZ, or Fiji decide the same, and Chinese are invited to build their military bases in Suva or Auckland?