Russia

Born N Bled Red said:
Putin's goals were also smaller in the invasion of Crimea, the "takeover" was covert and their was little bloodshed. A person sitting in the states or any other country could legitimately rationalize that part of that population wanted to be part of Russia. The takeover was still wrong, still an act of war, but it wasn't a crisis like this. 

What he is doing now is trying to subjugate an entire nation and wipe their existence off the map, against their will. He is committing acts of terror on a minute by minute basis. Killing innocents, and destroying infrastructure. This is war, it is an act of evil. 

This is the difference between 2014 and now, in my mind. 
Click to expand...


Agree. I think we're free to question the tepid and enabling response to Putin in 2014, but as you say Putin's aims were carefully calibrated to dare the West to intervene in something smaller and better rationalized. 

Pretty big difference between annexation and war, kinda like annexing Austria in 1938 and invading Poland in 1939. 

Two weeks ago, even people who knew Putin's brain thought the massing of troops at the Ukraine border might still be a bluff. 

 
Nebfanatic said:
https://theweek.com/russo-ukrainian-war/1010801/russian-troops-in-ukraine-are-surrendering-sabotaging-their-own

A ton of other sources reporting this as well. 

Maybe, but from an outside perspective it seems the only one for an appetite for further invasion is Putin. What is motivating the Russian people to keep pushing? 
Click to expand...
Putin and a handful of Generals is all it takes in an autocratic state like Russia. I’m sure a significant majority of their citizens and military grunts are opposed but there isn’t much they can do short of overthrowing him. And unfortunately I don’t think the Russian people are prone to reacting that way. Maybe when the sanctions really start to hit home, but not yet.

 
nic said:
Zelenskyy for president. Can’t help but root for this guy. 

Is the US still importing Russian oil or did we quit? We don’t need to import energy from anyone if we don’t want to. We could export to the countries that are dependent on Russia. We may have been able to do this somewhat quickly a few years ago. May as well put it in place now because Russia isn’t going to stop.
Click to expand...
Holy crap. Pelosi and I agree?! At least part one. Now start producing energy.

looking for pigs to fly by my window.
 

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pelosi-favors-banning-russian-oil-imports-united-states

 
Putin probably has a sharp ended umbrella prepared for this guy  - but I hop Putin accidently pokes himself first 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/russian-businessman-put-1-million-053413403.html

  • Russian businessman Alex Konanykhin has put a $1 million bounty on Vladimir Putin's head.
  • He has called on Russian military officers to go after Putin and arrest him as a war criminal.
  • Konanykhin said he was putting up the bounty to "facilitate the denazification of Russia."

A Russian investor has put a $1 million bounty on Russian President Vladimir Putin's head, asking for Russian military officers to arrest Putin as a war criminal.

"I promise to pay $1,000,000 to the officer(s) who, complying with their constitutional duty, arrest(s) Putin as a war criminal under Russian and international laws," said crypto investor and California-based businessman Alex Konanykhin in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

Konanykhin claimed that Putin had violated the Russian constitution by "eliminating free elections" and "murdering his opponents."

"As an ethnic Russian and a Russia citizen, I see it as my moral duty to facilitate the denazification of Russia. I will continue my assistance to Ukraine in its heroic efforts to withstand the onslaught of Putin's Orda," Konanykhin said, using the Russian word for "horde."

Konanykhin told Insider that he had put up the bounty — which will come from his own funds — to show that the military assault on Ukraine is not being conducted in his name.

"If enough other people make similar statements, it may increase the chances of Putin getting arrested and brought to justice," he added.

Konanykhin said he has not visited Russia since 1992. When asked about whether he feared reprisal from Putin, the businessman said: "Putin is known to murder his opponents. He has millions of them now."
Click to expand...

 
Speaking of badass…..

Apparently referring to Putin's February 7 meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron wherein the leaders were seen sitting at far ends of a long, white table, Zelenskyy asked, “Sit down with me to negotiate, just not at 30 metres."

“I don’t bite. What are you afraid of?” the Ukrainian president said at a news conference, according to the AP report.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/zelenskyy-calls-for-putin-to-sit-down-for-negotiation-says-i-don-t-bite-101646326030173.html

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top