Invasion of Ukraine

[RainMaker]

<samp class="EmbedCode-container"><code class="EmbedCode-code"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Russian Ambassador pushes Big Lie:<br><br>“the United States, where the legitimately elected president of the country was overthrown.” <a href="https://t.co/bekfts0878">pic.twitter.com/bekfts0878</a></p>&mdash; Brennan Murphy (@brenonade) <a href="https://twitter.com/brenonade/status/1499080459606704132?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </code></samp>

[PilotMan]

He handled it like, you know, someone who has spent a long time actually working in foreign affairs, and at the very least, had a working understanding of things, and the multiple influences on those decision and at least some grasp of his own opinions?

I mean...even that's a fairly low bar for a guy who was the UN Ambassador. But take away the 'working' part above and it's a pretty low bar for an average person, who suddenly got a job (any job) and actually gave a shit.

[BYU 14]

<samp class="EmbedCode-container"><code class="EmbedCode-code"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Russian Ambassador pushes Big Lie:<br><br>“the United States, where the legitimately elected president of the country was overthrown.” <a href="https://t.co/bekfts0878">pic.twitter.com/bekfts0878</a></p>&mdash; Brennan Murphy (@brenonade) <a href="https://twitter.com/brenonade/status/1499080459606704132?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </code></samp>

Well that tweet wasn't up long

[RainMaker]

This is depressing.

<samp class="EmbedCode-container"><code class="EmbedCode-code"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">'Which do you think best describes Russia?'<br><br>Communist: 42%<br>Socialist: 13%<br>Capitalist: 11%<br><br>Something Else: 17%<br><br>YouGov / March 1, 2022 / n=1495 / Online<a href="https://t.co/1XIbIo8Qs5">https://t.co/1XIbIo8Qs5</a></p>&mdash; Polling USA (@USA_Polling) <a href="https://twitter.com/USA_Polling/status/1499107484237193218?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </code></samp>

[Solecismic]

The UN vote condemning the invasion went 141-5 (Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Syria, Eritrea) with 35 intentional abstentions (China, India most notably) and 12 that didn't vote (surprisingly including Venezuela).

Looking at the list, it's a remarkable show of unity. I don't know if that sort of thing matters to Putin.

With India, there's the persistent narrative on Twitter that middle eastern and Asian students (and Pakistan is expressing the same concern) are not being protected by Ukraine. Coinciding with the Russian claim that they are being used as human shields. Still, an abstention rather than a no vote, and, like China, they are calling for a political solution. Hopefully, there's some way to show the world that those claims are only Russian propaganda.

Unfortunately, none of this helps the Ukrainians today.

[Lathum]

WTF is Eritrea? Sounds like a made up land in a childrens book

[NobodyHere]

WTF is Eritrea? Sounds like a made up land in a childrens book

It's in Africa so you don't have to worry about it.

[Lathum]

It's in Africa so you don't have to worry about it.

Yeah. I am now down the Wiki rabbit hole on it.

[RainMaker]

India is a weird situation. Technically, they've been in violation of CAATSA for years. Trump threatened them a few times but ultimately waivered. Biden has mostly been quiet about it.

[Atocep]

The UN vote condemning the invasion went 141-5 (Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Syria, Eritrea) with 35 intentional abstentions (China, India most notably) and 12 that didn't vote (surprisingly including Venezuela).

Looking at the list, it's a remarkable show of unity. I don't know if that sort of thing matters to Putin.

With India, there's the persistent narrative on Twitter that middle eastern and Asian students (and Pakistan is expressing the same concern) are not being protected by Ukraine. Coinciding with the Russian claim that they are being used as human shields. Still, an abstention rather than a no vote, and, like China, they are calling for a political solution. Hopefully, there's some way to show the world that those claims are only Russian propaganda.

Unfortunately, none of this helps the Ukrainians today.


India receives a lot of military weapons from Russia, has received Russian support for their claims to Kashmir, and they fear China. So they feel anything that pushes Russia closer to China is bad for their interests in the long run.

[Solecismic]

It's in Africa so you don't have to worry about it.

Africa has more than its share of awful situations, but Eritrea could easily be the worst.

Eritrea - United States Department of State (https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/eritrea/)

I've read it compared to North Korea in terms of human rights and isolation many times.

[sabotai]

I was going to ask "Eritrea? Why? I get the other four but Eritrea seems kinda random".

Google gave me this article from a few years ago.

Russia-Eritrea Relations Grow with Planned Logistics Center (https://www.voanews.com/a/russia-eritrea-relations-grow-with-planned-logistics-center/4554680.html)

I guess Russia is doing in Eritrea what China is doing in basically the entire rest of the continent.

[Edward64]

With India, there's the persistent narrative on Twitter that middle eastern and Asian students (and Pakistan is expressing the same concern) are not being protected by Ukraine. Coinciding with the Russian claim that they are being used as human shields. Still, an abstention rather than a no vote, and, like China, they are calling for a political solution. Hopefully, there's some way to show the world that those claims are only Russian propaganda. .

FWIW, specifically for India, I had posted this earlier.

Interesting discussions going on in the r/India sub. Majority of commentators favor India's neutrality. Russia has supported India politically and militarily so in a way I get it. But lots of commentary on how Ukraine/Europe are racist and therefore, they shouldn't get India's support. I can see that if UK was getting invaded but don't think that should apply to Ukraine. Admittedly, India is in a difficult situation so being neutral is probably best position for them.

[RainMaker]

<samp class="EmbedCode-container"><code class="EmbedCode-code"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wow. The Germans have seized Alisher Usmanov's $800,000,000 yacht. <a href="https://t.co/KidKg8SeSb">https://t.co/KidKg8SeSb</a></p>&mdash; Scott Stedman (@ScottMStedman) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottMStedman/status/1499130395509411841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </code></samp>

[molson]

WTF is Eritrea? Sounds like a made up land in a childrens book

If you ever had Ethiopian food when you were in Seattle, it may have actually been Eritrean.

(We have an "Ethiopian" restaurant in Boise run by a refugee from Eritrea, and he makes Eritrean food. Which is almost the same thing)

[Lathum]

Zero desire to eat Ethiopian food.

[molson]

I love it. I may go tonight.

I've been to a bunch of Ethiopian restaurants in Seattle. I bet there's a lot of Eriteran refugees there. (And Ethiopian)

[flere-imsaho]

Ethiopian food is great. You're missing out, Lathum.

[flere-imsaho]

Speaking of that area in Africa, I learned about this the other day and it blew my mind: Bir Tawil - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bir_Tawil)

[miami_fan]

NYT is reporting that Russia has taken over Kherson.

[RainMaker]

Another thumbs up for Ethiopian food. Surprised the hell out of me. It's terrific. But I love spicy food.

[Vince, Pt. II]

I'll fourth the Ethiopian food recommendation.

[Brian Swartz]

Can't eat spicy food, so I guess that's a no for me.

[molson]

They do usually have non-spicy "toppings" (that's probably not the right term).

It's basically just your choice of vegetables and meat on a spongy bread that is also the utensil to pick up the veggies and meat with.


https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/sandiegomagazine.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/8c/d8c6d926-72fb-11eb-a628-efc4e9abab37/6030319469eb5.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C900

[Lathum]

Looks disgusting. Like piles of dog vomit with spring mix

[RainMaker]

It's just lentils, meat, and veggies.

I love Middle Eastern/Greek food a lot though too. Come to think of it, there isn't much food I don't like.

[Solecismic]

There is a restaurant in Ann Arbor, the Blue Nile, that has the reputation for putting together an authentic and excellent Ethiopian dinner. I meant to try it, but somehow never did because every time I looked at the menu, I wasn't enthused. But maybe I'd love it. There was a time I'd've said the same about Unagi (sushi from eel) and now I look forward to it whenever we do a takeout night (still can't get myself to dine in a restaurant).

[sabotai]

Unfortunately my genetics work against me. I'm a super-taster, which sounds like it should be awesome, but it fucking sucks. Quite a lot of things taste extremely bitter to me, and if even a little is in something, that's all I can taste. For example, if something has a little bit of green pepper in it, all I can taste is green pepper and it makes me want to vomit.

I'll try anything once (have to in order to expand my range of foods). Never had the chance to try Ethiopian, but I would. I just wouldn't hold out hope that it would be my new favorite thing.

[JPhillips]

Looks disgusting. Like piles of dog vomit with spring mix

Doesn't look any more disgusting than a fajita platter.

[Edward64]

I’ll try it but agree it doesn’t look that appetizing

[Lathum]

Doesn't look any more disgusting than a fajita platter.

yes it does

[GrantDawg]

I will try anything. I have still never had good Indian food.

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[PilotMan]

yes it does

Worse than Skyline Chili?

[Edward64]

Indian food is pretty good but only once every other week or so for us. My wife and I used to go to a buffet which was pretty decent but haven't been (obviously) for the past 2+ years.

Wish they had more vegetables dishes that aren't mushed up though. The buffet place had regular salad/lettuce off to the side and I'm pretty sure that's not authentic Indian.

[GrantDawg]

I'm going to drive up to your side of town Edward, and you take me to a good Indian place and help me order. I am convinced I just don't know where to go and what to get that is good.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[NobodyHere]

Worse than Skyline Chili?

All that cabin air must've ruined your sense of taste.

[Solecismic]

I used to feel that Indian food was the exception to the "something excellent in every cuisine" rule. In my last desk job, we had an intern in our group who grew up in India. I mentioned this to him, asked if there was any place around our office that felt authentic to him. He mentioned a place very close to work, so we went for lunch and I asked what he felt they did well there. Apparently there is a cuisine I don't get at all. My wife has a couple of dishes she'll make that use Indian sauces and that's about the only thing she makes that I'd prefer not to eat.

[Edward64]

I'm going to drive up to your side of town Edward, and you take me to a good Indian place and help me order. I am convinced I just don't know where to go and what to get that is good.

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The key is to go to an Indian restaurant where you see many more Indians than non-Indians. If ever given a choice, don't order mild, not much taste.

Order medium which should be enough to make you sweat just ever so slightly. Never order high heat, you'll regret it.

The ones we go to at Cumming are below. There's probably another 5-7 near by that we haven't tried yet.

Bawarchi Biryanis » Menu (https://www.bawarchicumming.com/Menu?&promos=1&pid=8770)
Inchin's Bamboo Garden Indo-Chinese & Pan Asian CuisineInchin's Bamboo Garden | Our Hallmark is Fresh Food (https://bamboo-gardens.com/)
http://www.bukharaa.com/ (buffet, sentimental favorite, the first Indian restaurant when we moved here but there's now a ton of now)

Using Bawarchicumming as an example for me, wife & daughter

1) Butter Chicken or Chicken Curry
2) Garlic Naan appetizer (to dip in your curry)
3) Chicken Fried Rice (this is with chopped up tandoori chicken, daughter's favorite)

The above 3 are "safe". We order a different 3rd entree just to experiment

Bukharaa is okay. Because it was first in the area, I think it overly catered to westerners with the buffet. But check it out, buffet is a good intro to Indian food.

[PilotMan]

All that cabin air must've ruined your sense of taste.

Skyline, and all Cincinnati Chili is terrible. It shouldn't even be called chili.

[JPhillips]

Skyline, and all Cincinnati Chili is terrible. It shouldn't even be called chili.

Fuck you, Pops!

[CrimsonFox]

Zero desire to eat Ethiopian food.

If this were the 80s, one could hear teenagers making jokes like "You mean an empty plate?"

[miked]

If you are near Atlanta, Bhojanic is pretty good. Also, for Ethiopian, Desta is damn good.

[Groundhog]

I had an Ethiopian curry a few months ago and it surprised the heck out of me. The bread you dip in the curry has a mild sour taste which is right up my alley, and the curry was amazing - I have no idea what is actually in it.

[Ksyrup]

The war should end in a matter of days, guys. The international cat federation banned Russian cats from competition.

[JPhillips]

I read a fascinating thread from a former U.S. vehicle mechanic speculating that the convoy was due to the poor maintenance of Russian vehicles. He used some of the pictures of vehicles stuck in the mud to show blown tires and speculated the vehicles were moved regularly prior to the invasion and now the tire walls are brittle and subject to tears when they go off-road.

[Lathum]

I heard speculation Russian soldiers were punching holes in their own gas tanks.

It is pretty amazing they are trying to fight a war with a ground force that doesn't believe in the purpose.

[Lathum]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q2VOV-V9KQM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[albionmoonlight]

Considering the bravery of the Ukrainians, the unprofessionalism of the Russian military, and the united nature of the world response, things are going about as well as they possibly could at this point.

And Putin still has the ability (and, it appears, the plan based on the French reports of their talks with Russia) to either take over Ukraine, grind it into dust, or some combination of the two.

I'm still wondering about the endgame here. Putin will not turn tail and run. And Ukraine is not giving up. And millions of civilians are in the way.

Someone really, really, really needs to get rid of Putin.

[cuervo72]

Yeah, this is my nagging feeling too. All the sanctions in the world probably aren't going to stop Putin from completely leveling the entire country if that's what it takes. Which it might, but nobody is willing to step in militarily to prevent that, so...

[stevew]

$4.89 for diesel by my house. Probably was a bad idea when I bought that Jetta Sportwagen TDi last summer. :(

[PilotMan]

but if that's the case it should be something that the regional leadership takes charge of. It's not something that should be decided from the US. If the US is asked to bring support, then it should consider it, and the method that works best to support the decision makers closer to Ukraine.

[JPhillips]

We should band together and buy a Russian bank.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“Sberbank was down 99.72% year-to-date to trade for around a single penny on Wednesday, while Gazprom was down 93.71%, Lukoil 99.2%, Polyus 95.58%, Rosneft 92.52% and EN+ 20.51%” <a href="https://t.co/aLcHPagfuG">https://t.co/aLcHPagfuG</a></p>&mdash; Allahpundit (@allahpundit) <a href="https://twitter.com/allahpundit/status/1499429499850665991?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[PilotMan]

At what point does the country simply buy them out and take over?

[sterlingice]

Considering the bravery of the Ukrainians, the unprofessionalism of the Russian military, and the united nature of the world response, things are going about as well as they possibly could at this point.

And Putin still has the ability (and, it appears, the plan based on the French reports of their talks with Russia) to either take over Ukraine, grind it into dust, or some combination of the two.

I'm still wondering about the endgame here. Putin will not turn tail and run. And Ukraine is not giving up. And millions of civilians are in the way.

Someone really, really, really needs to get rid of Putin.

Yeah, this is my nagging feeling too. All the sanctions in the world probably aren't going to stop Putin from completely leveling the entire country if that's what it takes. Which it might, but nobody is willing to step in militarily to prevent that, so...

Yeah, we've reached the point where he basically said, "fine, I'm not doing this the way the US does where they try (yes, try and sometimes fail) to just hit military targets and leave everything else intact for their bs nation building". Instead, he's pivoted to "this is war and if I have to bomb every square inch of the ground to take it, so be it". This shouldn't be all that surprising, considering how much he's talked about how there is no such thing as a Ukrainian - they're all Russians. Anyone who disagrees will just be killed and he'll rebuild it in Russia's image.

I guess this is similar to my assessment on Monday with a healthier dose of "oh, right, even if Ukraine holds out for a while, they still aren't going to be able to hold their entire country from Russia for the duration without more help in terms of boots on the ground and planes in the sky.

It also looked like they were trying to go "minimal casualty", as much as you can during wartime. Yes, there were some civilians killed, but they looked a lot more like accidental attacks not deliberate. They were hoping to just take over the Ukrainian government and leave most things intact - better to not have to use your own money to rebuild your future colonies. It feels like in the last 48 hours, Putin may have pivoted to actually wiping the Ukrainians off the face of the earth, even without using nukes. He called in the Chechens with the brutal reputation (and they were promptly killed). There's been more targeting of civilians, more hits on infrastructure like the gas pipelines and storage, etc. If he wants to ratchet things up, direct fighting towards some more critical areas "accidentally" hit that dam which takes out electricity and floods a number of towns, hit the nuclear waste supply depots, fight near water treatment plants and accidentally cripple those - that sort of thing.

I really have no idea where this goes from Putin getting "suicided" to protracted war with atrocities to more strategic goals where Russia pulls back from fortified Kiev and concentrates on the eastern part of the country.

I also think that Biden and the EU have been very clear over and over - we can keep supplying you with arms but we can't actually fight for you or enforce a no fly around you. And, if that's the case, Russia's just going to grind them down with numbers and artillery. Throughout history, Russia has never been one to care if they kill a bunch of peasants, theirs or anyone else's.

SI

[PilotMan]

Which means that it's more or less a foregone conclusion. The next part will be the important one, where Russia is completely excluded and shut down on the global stage, and the sanctions are so high, and the punishment felt so far and wide across every facet of Russian life that nobody ever can forget or forgive until things are made right. If that means complete exclusion from global events, sports, business, personal property to repay war debts, etc, so be it.

Again, this is a choice for Europe and they need to stand with conviction whichever path they choose.

[flere-imsaho]

At some point the odds of a coup have to start getting somewhere realistic.

[sterlingice]

By all accounts, isn't he in some bunker in the Urals with his yes-iest of yes men, likely his elite guards (I assume he has some), and some oligarchs he's basically keeping prisoner? Can't he sell now that "see, it's now starting to go according to plan after some initial foul ups" and anyone there will back down. And anyone else won't be able to get within a km of him? Plus, he's probably like "we'll just nationalize Gazprom, Rozneft, etc and I'll give them back to you when things calm down - just like I made you powerful before, I can do it again". Now, if I were an oligarch, I wouldn't trust him any further than I could throw him, but the other play is probably even riskier to them.

More EDIT: I mean, it seems easy to be like "hey, I'm oligarch #1 and if I kill him - we can have our country back, right, western world?" I doubt it's that easy as I'm sure the Russian people wouldn't be all that excited about losing a war, being lied to, etc.

SI

[Solecismic]

Putin has enacted new laws with stiff penalties for airing news with "misinformation," which has caused the somewhat independent news networks operating in Russia to close, their directors literally fleeing the country as it's likely they would be jailed.

Rumors are that Putin will declare martial law soon. To the average Russian, this isn't going to seem like their dictator has gone mad. It's going to seem like Ukraine is attacking the good Russians of eastern Ukraine, we were trying to defend them and then the evil US came in and now we're at the brink of WWIII.

The question is how much from the internet trickles through anyway. How many Russians are aware of what's going on? Protests are met with immediate arrest, so what are the chances that increases? I'm sure they're working on a way to filter internet access the way China does.

As long as Xi props up the Russian economy and there's a market for Russian oil, coal and gas, Putin can do this. We can admire Ukrainian resolve as they suffer what we can't even imagine, but I don't see how they can hold up because Putin is clearly willing to bomb apartment buildings and cut off supply lines.

[Edward64]

Interesting tidbit.

Not sure what to think about it. In a way, I like that US is thinking to force them to pick a side. On the other hand, think its okay for countries to be neutral if it's really not in their strategic national interest.

But it's not as if the US-West have been buddies with India militarily, Russia supplies more arms and supported them vs Pakistan. However, on the other hand, the US has a much bigger economic benefit to India. India is in a tough spot.

U.S. recalls cable saying India and UAE are “in Russia’s camp� (https://www.axios.com/us-accuses-india-uae-russias-camp-8dc60479-e897-454f-8ac4-45aef5c39458.html)
The State Department has recalled a cable to U.S. diplomats that instructed them to inform counterparts from India and the United Arab Emirates their position of neutrality on Ukraine put them "in Russia's camp," Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The recall of the strongly worded cable indicates either a process error with a fabled and vital work product — or a policy dispute inside the U.S. government involving two key allies.

[Edward64]

My global consulting company announced they are discontinuing our business in Russia. This impacts approx 2,300 Russians. Company will provide support to those impacted (no details).

Don't know how I feel about this. We are really frakkin with the livelihood of 2,300 innocent Russians that can't control what their government does. I hope we continue to provide "wage/severance" to them (in USD of course) for a long time.

I'm sure we have presence in Ukraine also. Not sure what's happening there.

[JonInMiddleGA]

At some point the odds of a coup have to start getting somewhere realistic.

Depends on whether they win or lose.

Finish the mission - despite the initial Keystone Cops look of things -- and I'd say that's a near-zero chance.

And a not insignificant portion of the country will hail him as a hero for -- as they see it -- retaking what should never have been lost in the first place.

[Solecismic]

My global consulting company announced they are discontinuing our business in Russia. This impacts approx 2,300 Russians. Company will provide support to those impacted (no details).

Don't know how I feel about this. We are really frakkin with the livelihood of 2,300 innocent Russians that can't control what their government does. I hope we continue to provide "wage/severance" to them (in USD of course) for a long time.

I'm sure we have presence in Ukraine also. Not sure what's happening there.

Putin seems to be trying to transition Russia back into a communist nation, aligned with China.

I don't know what livelihood will mean to the Russians who aren't part of the government. I don't think Putin cares. And if Putin doesn't care, we can't do much. It's just a different world. We have to accept that somehow. This is a major reset of world power and China is determined to make sure the US no longer has that place of leadership.

When Biden went to Xi with our knowledge of Russia's plans, he laughed and shared that information with Putin. It was all good for Xi as long as Putin waited until the Olympics ended. We know what's happening now. It's going to impact all of us.

Here we are, confiscating yachts and worrying about the stock market while it's really a question of whether the rather short-term (by civilization standards) approach of Democracy can hold up to dictators who don't care about the individuals who don't have the power to vote them out of office.

[Lathum]

The company that supports the reservation systems for the largest Russian airline has stopped servicing them rendering them basically useless.

[kingfc22]

Russians now firing at and causing a fire at the largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

[GrantDawg]

It is actually the largest plant in Europe. Tenth largest in the world. What could possibly go wrong?

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[GrantDawg]

The fighting is actually on the inside of the plant, and the sounds like the Russians are purposely destroying plant controls. They are legitimately purposely trying to cause a nuclear disaster.

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[RainMaker]

Putin seems to be trying to transition Russia back into a communist nation, aligned with China.

In what way are they transitioning to communism? That would be a huge blow to Putin's finances and there have been zero signs of any nationalization taking place.

[RainMaker]

So none of the sanctions being brought against oligarchs will include Abramovich. Biden is an incredible coward.

[RainMaker]

The fighting is actually on the inside of the plant, and the sounds like the Russians are purposely destroying plant controls. They are legitimately purposely trying to cause a nuclear disaster.


Russian soldiers might not have thought this one through.

[kingfc22]

Russian soldiers might not have thought this one through.

Their capabilities thus far have shown to be pretty incompetent. Almost makes one wonder what the true state of their nuclear arsenal actually is.

[RainMaker]

<samp class="EmbedCode-container"><code class="EmbedCode-code"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Clip of intense firefights at the nuclear power plant. Video shows Russian forces engaging one of the buildings. <a href="https://t.co/V6URDQiNv3">pic.twitter.com/V6URDQiNv3</a></p>&mdash; Global: MilitaryInfo (@Global_Mil_Info) <a href="https://twitter.com/Global_Mil_Info/status/1499555595099197440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </code></samp>

[sterlingice]

Putin seems to be trying to transition Russia back into a communist nation, aligned with China.

How is 2022 Russia communist? They look a lot more like turn of the 20th century hyper capitalist en route to feudalism.

SI

[Solecismic]

How is 2022 Russia communist? They look a lot more like turn of the 20th century hyper capitalist en route to feudalism.

SI

Transitioning. If Putin imposes martial law. Presumably, the government will absorb the function of the corporations that no longer have international value. They already don't have free elections, and the laws that prevented a president from being in office no more than eight years were circumvented to allow Putin to continue his role (in name, Medvedev was president for four years, then Putin came back and terms were changed to six years).

Your point about feudalism is certainly valid (I don't know what hyper-capitalism is). Putin does seem to see himself more as tsar than Stalin. But both systems (sorry Bolsheviks, you ended up killing millions over essentially laundry) are extremely similar.

[RainMaker]

They are not transitioning to communism. The opposite if anything. Where in the world are you getting this stuff from?

[Edward64]

Zelenskyy said there are about 16K foreign volunteers inbound to help out (and presumably more). Reading below sub, seems they are only taking people with real combat experience. Bring your own body armor but weapons supplied.

16K is pretty significant. Question is can they be integrated quickly enough.

Reddit - Dive into anything (https://www.reddit.com/r/volunteersForUkraine/)

[GrantDawg]

Firefighters have finally been allowed to fight the fire. It is in the training building luckily. No damage to any radioactive containments.

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[JPhillips]

Not everything authoritarian is communist. It can't be communism without state ownership of the means of production.

[RainMaker]

Would You Mind Not Shooting At The Thermo Nuclear Weapon? - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiMPJEd6OY4)

[Edward64]

Firefighters have finally been allowed to fight the fire. It is in the training building luckily. No damage to any radioactive containments.


Better educated Redditors say it won't be another Chernobyl. Not sure I buy that in a worse case like reactor coolant is bombed.

On other news, a Russian Major General has been killed, supposedly by a sniper. I guess he's important guy but a "deputy commander" doesn't seem "that" important.

A top Russian general has been killed amid bitter fighting in Ukraine in what represents a major blow to the Russian invasion.

Major General Andrey Sukhovetsky, who was the deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of Russia's Central Military District, died yesterday as Ukrainian defence forces repelled the Russian offensive.

[tarcone]

Im sure it was a Russian sniper.

[Solecismic]

Cobbling together some links... with communism, simply the inevitable result of the state absorption of industry, breaking off from the rest of the world, modeling China's system, abandoning the pretense of free elections, martial law, etc.

Not the kind of philosophy that Stalin or Lenin would have espoused. The White Movement that Putin talks about was not a philosophy - more a form of control that looks more like a monarchy or a tsarist system. I think Putin thinks of himself in the tsar mold.

This, from last year, written by Putin:

The Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians - Modern Diplomacy (https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2021/08/15/the-historical-unity-of-russians-and-ukrainians/)

This analysis, from a journalist who has been banned from visiting Russia:

Thomas de Waal on Twitter: "1 “The resolution of the Ukraine question.� A mistakenly published Russian article gives us a chilling insight into the neo-imperialist thinking in Russia that drives Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. A (long) THREAD." (https://twitter.com/tom_dewaal/status/1498310064117059585?s=21)

The wikipedia article on Imperialism, which helps explain how different ideologies work in a global economy (I don't know how it's possible to parse all these concepts together).

Theories of imperialism - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_Imperialism)

The most important piece is Putin's rambling history. He feels he's restoring something specific, and that doesn't necessarily fit any theory or ideology. To him, fairness means taking the pieces of history he likes and discarding the pieces he feels are disrepectful of the ones he considers important.

He views the end of the Cold War and the dismantling of the USSR as capitulation and a wrong that needs to be righted. Change is not possible. He connects the land of Ukraine to the tsar-era people who ruled it. And the Bolshevik Revolution as something that arbitrarily divided it.

I didn't know that part at all. But I think it explains why he's all about Kyiv and now we even see battle maps that indicate Moldova is in danger. He doesn't care how he gets to the end as long as he restores what he thinks he should restore.

[Edward64]

That would end or de-escalate this nightmare.

I've always wondered why a top NK soldier/politician don't take out the crazy kid (do a John Wick with a pencil). That person must know there is a bigger and better world out there, and NK is prevented from rejoining because of the crazy kid. But 3 generation of crazy rulers and still no progress.


@LindseyGrahamSC
Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military?

The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out.

You would be doing your country - and the world - a great service.

[RainMaker]

The Communist Party in Russia is literally the opposition party. Putin is a crony capitalist. In fact, may be the greatest capitalist the world has ever seen.

[RainMaker]

That would end or de-escalate this nightmare.

I've always wondered why a top NK soldier/politician don't take out the crazy kid (do a John Wick with a pencil). That person must know there is a bigger and better world out there, and NK is prevented from rejoining because of the crazy kid. But 3 generation of crazy rulers and still no progress.

Always wondered if that was the reason he used those comically large tables for meetings.

Authoritarian leaders used to choose people with families to be their closest guards. Theory was that they wouldn't do something because the result would be their families bearing the consequences.

[cuervo72]

Always wondered if that was the reason he used those comically large tables for meetings.

This was my assumption.

[CrimsonFox]

Russian Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky killed by Ukrainians in blow to Putin | The Independent (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-kill-andrei-sukhovetsky-b2027858.html)

[CrimsonFox]

Im sure it was a Russian sniper.

lolol

[JonInMiddleGA]

Not sure if already mentioned or not, just in case.

This is YT's "Bald and Bankrupt" with about 15-20 minutes from his departure by train from Kyiv as tanks approached the city.

It's remarkablyunpolitical, remarkably unsensationalized, it's really his normal style of filming people and places just in a very abnormal situation.

I'd bet that it'll be different than most people's expectations, well worth the watch IMO.

https://youtu.be/2bNzjBJF_G0

[JPhillips]

Great info on Russian airborne troops being more political police than special forces.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Since WWII there were only three cases when Russian paratroopers were actually dropped on the enemy from the air:<br><br>Hungary 1956<br>Czechoslovakia 1968<br>Ukraine 2022<br><br>Ergo, paratroopers act as paratroopers only when they don't expect resistance from another regular army <a href="https://t.co/Hxxzkj4EvW">pic.twitter.com/Hxxzkj4EvW</a></p>&mdash; Kamil Galeev (@kamilkazani) <a href="https://twitter.com/kamilkazani/status/1499380866702786566?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Ksyrup]

We should band together and buy a Russian bank.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“Sberbank was down 99.72% year-to-date to trade for around a single penny on Wednesday, while Gazprom was down 93.71%, Lukoil 99.2%, Polyus 95.58%, Rosneft 92.52% and EN+ 20.51%” <a href="https://t.co/aLcHPagfuG">https://t.co/aLcHPagfuG</a></p>&mdash; Allahpundit (@allahpundit) <a href="https://twitter.com/allahpundit/status/1499429499850665991?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Kentucky teacher retirement system was the second-largest shareholder of Sberbank. $13M invested down to $778K.

[BYU 14]

Kentucky teacher retirement system was the second-largest shareholder of Sberbank. $13M invested down to $778K.

Holy shit, that is brutal. Do you know what company manages that account?

[sovereignstar v2]

Looks like Kentucky TRS has over 20 billion in assets. 13 million doesn't seem like much.

[sterlingice]

I'm assuming the US does kindof want Ukraine to win this war. And, yes, there's a value to just weakening Russia. And, yes, I get that we can't go in without a risk of WW3.

But I feel like the window for Ukraine to actually "win" this war is narrow. And I think the most impactful thing we could do would be to provide them with anti-air and anti-tank defense. Anti-tank, we're doing the best we can - lots of personal surface-to surface missiles. We've also sent some anti-air but those come with limitations. And, well, we can't just drop missile systems and trucks in there. But the whole "give them planes" should be a no-brainer. Like what fell apart there? Isn't there some way to trade F-14s for Migs or F-14s and baseball's best friend "cash considerations" for Migs that would help with this problem? Or maybe see if Ukraine just happens to have some foreign nationals that have A-10 flight experience?

SI

[Lathum]

We need to stop calling it a war and start calling it genocide.

[Qwikshot]

I'm assuming the US does kindof want Ukraine to win this war. And, yes, there's a value to just weakening Russia. And, yes, I get that we can't go in without a risk of WW3.

But I feel like the window for Ukraine to actually "win" this war is narrow. And I think the most impactful thing we could do would be to provide them with anti-air and anti-tank defense. Anti-tank, we're doing the best we can - lots of personal surface-to surface missiles. We've also sent some anti-air but those come with limitations. And, well, we can't just drop missile systems and trucks in there. But the whole "give them planes" should be a no-brainer. Like what fell apart there? Isn't there some way to trade F-14s for Migs or F-14s and baseball's best friend "cash considerations" for Migs that would help with this problem? Or maybe see if Ukraine just happens to have some foreign nationals that have A-10 flight experience?

SI

They can't win the war because they cannot invade Russia. All they can do is drag it out to the point of stalemate or regime change.

Neither will happen, Russia will send as much in resources to grind away humanity in Ukraine. If they cannot win, they will eradicate.

Russia will also not replace Putin. He's got a firm grasp.

Ukraine will be whittled away. The occupation zones will be devoid of humanity but will fly the Russian flag.

If Ukraine were to mount an offensive in Russia, I'm pretty sure Putin would use the nuclear option to deal with it. Small war heads against military targets, with international rebuke, to full scale warheads of cities.

The West will do nothing.

If Putin can't have Ukraine, then he'll make it uninhabitable. If the West allows for it, he'll go after other former Soviet Bloc nations, all with China shrugging.

[Ksyrup]

Looks like Kentucky TRS has over 20 billion in assets. 13 million doesn't seem like much.

Perhaps, but the retirement system funding has been a huge issue in this state and one that the former governor/asshole Matt Bevin went to war directly at teachers over, and it cost him the governor's seat (well-deserved, not just for this but a litany of things) to a Democrat in a slate of state executive officer races heavily backed by Trump in which he was the only GOPer to lose. Like, it wasn't just a civil disagreement with the teachers union over how best to handle the problem, dude directly attacked teachers time and time again at press conferences and stuff. Part of his attempt to be a mini-Trump with all of the kindness but none of the "charm."

In 2019, the Kentucky Employees Retirement System was only 16.5% funded, making it one of the worst-funded pension plans in the country, according to data from the Center on Retirement Research at Boston College.

Which is to say, I expect this will make some waves in the state even if it's a relative drop in the bucket.

[MrBug708]

The latest news is that they sold their shares last month

[Poli]

My sister's husband is from Russia. Her brother in law is in the Russian army. He was along the border just before this started. They haven't heard from him since the day before the invasion is my understanding.

[Edward64]

But the whole "give them planes" should be a no-brainer. Like what fell apart there? Isn't there some way to trade F-14s for Migs or F-14s and baseball's best friend "cash considerations" for Migs that would help with this problem? Or maybe see if Ukraine just happens to have some foreign nationals that have A-10 flight experience?
SI

I haven't read why it fell apart. Maybe it was never a done deal but Ukraine decided to publicize it anyway. If anyone know how it started and how it fell apart, appreciate a link.

But yeah, some European countries had some MIGs that Ukraine would fly. So like do a swap for NATO F-16 jets. Googling says $30M sticker.

Presumably, one of the reasons the F-16 remains so popular is its cost. With a roughly $30 million price tag, an F-16 sells for less than 80% of the sticker price of Sukhoi's Flanker. Lockheed's savvy move to begin producing the F-16 in India, moreover, promises to help the F-16 undercut the competition on price for years.

I read that A-10 (Bbbrrrrrttttttt) would be sitting ducks if no air superiority (or cover).

Even if more air will help, they will eventually get shot down or have maintenance issues. If I had to pick one, I'd go with zillions of Stingers & Javelins (and a bunch of other military weapons, equipment) and then wink-wink at NATO non-active combat veterans that want to go over.

[Edward64]

I do think Kyiv and eventually rest of Ukraine will fall. But man, those Ukrainians are tough fighters.

I do hope the (supposed) 16K volunteer foreign fighters (and counting) can really help.

[Edward64]

My sister's husband is from Russia. Her brother in law is in the Russian army. He was along the border just before this started. They haven't heard from him since the day before the invasion is my understanding.

Sorry Poli. I know we are generally pro-Ukraine on FOFC. I don't mean any disrespect or seem to be insensitive to your sister's family.

Best wishes to them.

[Poli]

Sorry Poli. I know we are generally pro-Ukraine on FOFC. I don't mean any disrespect or seem to be insensitive to your sister's family.

Best wishes to them.

FWIW, they're pro Ukraine. They have a number of friends from Ukraine. One of them dressed as Santa for my nephew a few years back when they visited over Christmas. I don't think it's a stretch to say they're devastated by this.

[Solecismic]

They can't win the war because they cannot invade Russia. All they can do is drag it out to the point of stalemate or regime change.

Neither will happen, Russia will send as much in resources to grind away humanity in Ukraine. If they cannot win, they will eradicate.

Russia will also not replace Putin. He's got a firm grasp.

Ukraine will be whittled away. The occupation zones will be devoid of humanity but will fly the Russian flag.

If Ukraine were to mount an offensive in Russia, I'm pretty sure Putin would use the nuclear option to deal with it. Small war heads against military targets, with international rebuke, to full scale warheads of cities.

The West will do nothing.

If Putin can't have Ukraine, then he'll make it uninhabitable. If the West allows for it, he'll go after other former Soviet Bloc nations, all with China shrugging.

That's what it looks like. In terms of tactics, we keep hearing that the skies are open, but what's not in evidence is all that much of Russia's air power. As bad as things are right now, they could be so much worse with steady air bombardment.

We can't stop it without starting WWIII. Xi could stop it, but he knows we will do anything we can to prevent WWIII and that serves his interests.

It surprises me that Putin is willing to sacrifice so many of his own troops. He seems quite secure and Russian police have come down quite harshly on war protests, arresting thousands. Putin is changing laws (unanimously in the Duma - debate is not welcome), driving out the media.

[PilotMan]

Which is exactly what I think the West understands.

"Look, if you want to shit in the sandbox, we're not going to stop you, but we've told you time, and time again, not to. If you decide you do want to shit in the sandbox, we're going to shove your nose deep down into it. Sure, you'll have the sandbox the way you wanted, but you should have to think "was it worth it" every single day, for the rest of your life."

[Solecismic]

Which is exactly what I think the West understands.

"Look, if you want to shit in the sandbox, we're not going to stop you, but we've told you time, and time again, not to. If you decide you do want to shit in the sandbox, we're going to shove your nose deep down into it. Sure, you'll have the sandbox the way you wanted, but you should have to think "was it worth it" every single day, for the rest of your life."

Putin seems to think that he wants the sandbox to be the same size it was at that arbitrary instant he seems to think was the height of historical significance and he seems to think of shit as any sign of disobedience to leadership.

We might wonder why the silly Lindsey Graham plea doesn't work. People with some power - enough to get close to Putin - have too much to lose.

[PilotMan]

As usual, Fareed is on point, with solid reasoning and great insight.

https://wapo.st/3Cc3ash

{it's a gifted article, so you won't need to worry about the pay wall; thank you PM}

[BigDPW]

As usual, Fareed is on point, with solid reasoning and great insight.

https://wapo.st/3Cc3ash

{it's a gifted article, so you won't need to worry about the pay wall; thank you PM}

Thanks for sharing. Interesting take that I mostly agree with. I do have a problem with reentering the Iran Nuclear deal though. That should be off limits and we should do everything in our power to limit another enemy from having nuclear weapons which is what I think the ultimate result of such a deal would lead to. Those guys can't be trusted and we can't police their nuclear ambitions as well as some would like to think by engaging with them.

[RainMaker]

This is an interesting article. What if Russia's Air Force just sucks? (https://rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/rusi-defence-systems/russian-air-force-actually-incapable-complex-air-operations)

[Lathum]

I think given what we are seeing on the front d is the Russian military is a bit of a paper tiger. They have numbers and nukes. That’s about it. Seems a lot of their equipment is old and poorly maintained. Their soldiers poorly trained and funded , and they lack a cohesive strategy. I think they really anticipated using smoke and mirrors to get Ukraine to roll over and create a pulley stage. They clearly weren’t ready for the fight they got. I agree with others without help they will grind them down but I think if you gave Putin truth potion he would say it’s not worth it.

[GrantDawg]

It is the sane thing we found after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The USSR was supposed to have huge numbers of quality modern planes and tanks. We found they actually had very little function high end equipment. Most of what they had was grounded because of lack of maintenance. Much of the exaggeration at that time was played up by the defense industry that is constantly pushing more money.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[Ryche]

As usual, Fareed is on point, with solid reasoning and great insight.

https://wapo.st/3Cc3ash

{it's a gifted article, so you won't need to worry about the pay wall; thank you PM}

One major problem with all that, oil producers in the U.S. are showing no interest in upping production.

One example (https://coloradonewsline.com/2022/03/03/colorado-drillers-oil-russia-ukraine-crisis/)

[tarcone]

Social Media wins this war. And I believe we have tapped into what social media should be used for, instead of what it is.

[RainMaker]

lol

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Treasury Department assures Wall Street it can still trade Russian oil and gas <a href="https://t.co/CQpf42S1As">https://t.co/CQpf42S1As</a></p>&mdash; CNBC (@CNBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNBC/status/1499894615717158913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Atocep]

I think given what we are seeing on the front d is the Russian military is a bit of a paper tiger. They have numbers and nukes. That’s about it. Seems a lot of their equipment is old and poorly maintained. Their soldiers poorly trained and funded , and they lack a cohesive strategy. I think they really anticipated using smoke and mirrors to get Ukraine to roll over and create a pulley stage. They clearly weren’t ready for the fight they got. I agree with others without help they will grind them down but I think if you gave Putin truth potion he would say it’s not worth it.


Not really a surprise for me based on what what I described earlier in the thread about the many people I know that have done joint operations with the Russians over the years.

One thing Putin did years ago was realize he can't compete dollar for dollar with the US and China in regards to conventional warfare so they started pumping money into their cyber warfare divisions.

[JPhillips]

More on the epic catastrophe in the making for the 64 km truck convoy.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lady's and Gentlemen, boys &amp; girls, it is time saddle up for another installment of the &quot;Mud and Truck Maintenance in Ukraine&quot; feed. <br><br>And this one will be a doozy, because we are talking about Russian truck refueling in the 64km column north of Kyiv. ��<br><br>1/ <a href="https://t.co/akTbOuo4tI">pic.twitter.com/akTbOuo4tI</a></p>&mdash; Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrentTelenko/status/1499894935209795594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[CrimsonFox]

‘Our families are dying,’ say demonstrators as truck convoy rolls to Buckingham Fountain to show support for Ukraine, call for peace - Chicago Tribune (https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-ukrainian-truck-convoy-20220226-b5sfva4qpvgv5gnttw46h62zz4-story.html)

What the hell is with convoys lately? What is this? The 70s???

All I remember growing up listening to Larry Lujack on the radio was that "The Dan Ryan is fucked"

[Edward64]

I'm looking forward to reviews on the DJI Mini 3 supposedly coming out in Mar. Makes sense the consumer stuff would be used for reconnaisance.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-technology-business-europe-47dfea7579cedfe65a70296eb0188212
One entrepreneur who runs a retail store selling consumer drones in the capital said its entire stock of some 300 drones made by Chinese company DJI has been dispersed for the cause. Others are working to get more drones across the border from friends and colleagues in Poland and elsewhere in Europe.
I did not know this though.

But there’s a downside: DJI, the leading provider of consumer drones in Ukraine and around the world, provides a tool that can easily pinpoint the location of an inexperienced drone operator, and no one really knows what the Chinese firm or its customers might do with that data. That makes some volunteers uneasy. DJI declined to discuss specifics about how it has responded to the war.

[Edward64]

Pretty amazing footage of a helicopter being shot down.

Ukrainian soldiers shoot down Russian helicopter in shocking battlefield footageÂ* | Daily Mail Online (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10580469/Ukrainian-soldiers-shoot-Russian-helicopter-stunning-battlefield-footage.html)

https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/03/05/4989627231569464630/636x382_MP4_4989627231569464630.mp4

[Flasch186]

When The images and videos start coming out in a few weeks of citizenry looking like skeletons and dying the west will likely be tested to make a decision of whether to actually let it happen again or put their money where their mouths are.

Scary days in front of us I&rsquo;m afraid


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Lathum]

apparently Brittney Griner has been in a Russian jail for almost a month because she was caught in an airport with a vape cartridge.

[NobodyHere]

apparently Brittney Griner has been in a Russian jail for almost a month because she was caught in an airport with a vape cartridge.

I have trouble feeling sorry for someone who protested the national anthem being arrested in Russia.

[sterlingice]

I have trouble feeling sorry for someone who protested the national anthem being arrested in Russia.

Definitely equivalent

SI

[Racer]

I have trouble feeling sorry for someone who protested the national anthem being arrested in Russia.

Nationalism is dangerous.

[Galaril]

Nationalism is dangerous.

Yes indeed.

[tarcone]

If the USA and Russia joined forces would the world tremble?

[molson]

If the USA and Russia joined forces would the world tremble?

We may find out in 2024!

[JPhillips]

How much less effective would a USA/RU partnership be rather than the USA on our own?

[bronconick]

Phillips P. OBrien on Twitter: "Indeed looking at this @WarOnTheRocks estimate, they Russians will struggle at 90 miles from working railheads. And they still suffer from the inflexibility mentioned by earlier reports at Afghanistan.
https://t.co/XfnAqRvMi4" (https://twitter.com/PhillipsPOBrien/status/1500213957751152641)

Russians still using the Soviet logistic system that lost them their Afghan War

[RainMaker]

I have trouble feeling sorry for someone who protested the national anthem being arrested in Russia.

Legitimately one of the dumbest thing posted here, and that's saying something.

[CrimsonFox]

It surprises me that Putin is willing to sacrifice so many of his own troops. He seems quite secure and Russian police have come down quite harshly on war protests, arresting thousands. Putin is changing laws (unanimously in the Duma - debate is not welcome), driving out the media.

You are surprised an evil murderous megolomaniac will kill his troops? He's basically Casanova Frankenstein

[CrimsonFox]

apparently Brittney Griner has been in a Russian jail for almost a month because she was caught in an airport with a vape cartridge.

so they are arresting douchebags now?

[JonInMiddleGA]

apparently Brittney Griner has been in a Russian jail for almost a month because she was caught in an airport with a vape cartridge.

I'm sure the hashish oil probably had more to do with it than the vape cartridge itself.

If I'm willing to admit to the possibility that the stuff was planted, I'd hope that even the hardest left would admit to the possibility that she might just be guilty of the charge.

[Edward64]

Yeah, let's do it. $30M a pop for a (theoretical) exchange for F-16s in addition to the Stingers & Javelins. It'll help Ukraine for another few weeks or so. But unless Ukraine gains air supremacy (doubtful), don't think it'll help that much with any sieges.

The US is working with Poland on the possibility of Warsaw providing fighter jets to Ukraine along with consulting with other allies, a White House spokesperson confirmed, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushes for eastern European countries to send fighter aircraft into his country.

As part of the conversations with Poland, the US is determining what “capabilities we could provide to backfill Poland if it decided to transfer planes to Ukraine,” said the spokesperson, who would not detail what backfill options are under consideration.

The spokesperson said sending fighter jets into Ukraine is a “sovereign decision for any country to make” and noted there are a host of logistics to work through, including how the aircraft would be transferred from Poland to Ukraine.

Two lawmakers participating in a Zoom call with the Ukrainian President on Saturday said Zelensky indicated Poland had signaled it is prepared to send MiG fighter jets but “they are only waiting for you [the US] to allow it.”

[Edward64]

More context

White House weighs 3-way deal to get fighter jets to Ukraine (https://news.yahoo.com/white-house-weighs-three-way-000147123.html)
The U.S. remains in discussions with Poland to potentially backfill their fleet of fighter planes if Warsaw decides to transfer its used MiG-29s to Ukraine, four U.S. officials tell POLITICO.
:
As Poland weighed sending its warplanes to Ukraine last week, Warsaw asked the White House if the Biden administration could guarantee it would provide them with U.S.-made fighter jets to fill the gap. The White House said it would look into the matter.
:
Several Eastern European countries like Poland, Bulgaria and Slovakia retain dozens of Russian-made aircraft in their inventories and have been hesitant to give up those planes without guarantees from the U.S. that they could replace them.

Poland has been modernizing its aircraft fleet since 2006, when it first started flying F-16s, and in 2020 signed a $4.6 billion deal for 32 F-35s, the first of which will arrive in 2024, making those older Russian-made planes expendable.

[Edward64]

Ukraine is definitely winning the trolling war.

Link below to volunteers to join Ukraine's "international legion". Below has list of contacts by country. For Russia it has "RUSSIAN WARSHIP, GO FUCK YOURSELF".

Fight for Ukraine (https://fightforua.org/)

[GrantDawg]

I'm sure the hashish oil probably had more to do with it than the vape cartridge itself.

If I'm willing to admit to the possibility that the stuff was planted, I'd hope that even the hardest left would admit to the possibility that she might just be guilty of the charge.
It is quite possible she did. Either she forgot it was in the bag, or she thought she could pass it through. Either way, she is in a bad situation.

[Lathum]

I'm sure the hashish oil probably had more to do with it than the vape cartridge itself.

If I'm willing to admit to the possibility that the stuff was planted, I'd hope that even the hardest left would admit to the possibility that she might just be guilty of the charge.

I have little doubt she is guilty. The issue is she was in jail for almost a month before anyone knew.

[sterlingice]

I'm sure the hashish oil probably had more to do with it than the vape cartridge itself.

If I'm willing to admit to the possibility that the stuff was planted, I'd hope that even the hardest left would admit to the possibility that she might just be guilty of the charge.

It's darkly hilarious to me that the headline is "because of vape cartridge" and then when you read the story it's "oh, it had hashish oil in it" - maybe the lede was buried a bit. Not saying it's right or, like you said, totally could have been planted (also could be for personal use, too). But it's a misleading headline. It would be like a story "man with bag arrested at airport" and when you read the story, it's because the bag was filled with drugs.

SI

[sterlingice]

Yeah, let's do it. $30M a pop for a (theoretical) exchange for F-16s in addition to the Stingers & Javelins. It'll help Ukraine for another few weeks or so. But unless Ukraine gains air supremacy (doubtful), don't think it'll help that much with any sieges.

No kidding. We can't fight directly but if we can get out our military checkbook to make a big difference, get it done like yesterday.

SI

[Flasch186]

Remember Russia paid afghans for killing Americans

Trump said naw, but yeah it happened you F

We&rsquo;re here today in part (not whole) because of trumps fellating Putin

And now my Facebook is silent from the Trumpists but I desperately want to start reposting their posts back to them with a side eye


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hammer]

If the USA and Russia joined forces would the world tremble?

I would fear the lunatic with 25 long range nukes who would use them over the country with 5000 who wouldn't due to fear of the consequences of nuclear retaliation.

I think right now Putin holds the lunatic card. Therefore he calls the shots.

[Edward64]

Looks like rent-a-jet to Ukraine will happen.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that NATO members have the go-ahead to send fighter jets to Ukraine as the U.S. and allies continue their efforts to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia's invasion.

"That gets a green-light," Blinken said in an interview with "Face the Nation" when asked whether the Polish government, a member of NATO, could send fighter planes to Ukraine. "In fact, we're talking with our Polish friends right now about what we might be able to do to backfill their needs if in fact they choose to provide these fighter jets to the Ukrainians. What can we do? How can we help to make sure that they get something to backfill the planes that they are handing over to the Ukrainians?"

[HerRealName]

Remember Russia paid afghans for killing Americans

Trump said naw, but yeah it happened you F

We&rsquo;re here today in part (not whole) because of trumps fellating Putin

And now my Facebook is silent from the Trumpists but I desperately want to start reposting their posts back to them with a side eye


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I just looked, mine is still overflowing with pro-Putin support. Putin's apparently fighting the deep state by invading Ukraine.

[molson]

I just looked, mine is still overflowing with pro-Putin support.

Is this your family, friends? Is there a social pressure to follow these people or is out of morbid curiosity?

I don't get how people put up with that stuff.

[HerRealName]

Is this your family, friends? Is there a social pressure to follow these people or is out of morbid curiosity?

I don't get how people put up with that stuff.

I have crazy in-laws and I grew up in a small town of about 2,000. I rarely log into Facebook and when I do I go straight to a couple of groups that I follow. My actual friends and family all avoid the place for the same reason.

[molson]

I have crazy in-laws and I grew up in a small town of about 2,000. I rarely log into Facebook and when I do I go straight to a couple of groups that I follow. My actual friends and family all avoid the place for the same reason.

It just bums me out that the crazies have taken over. It's easy enough to me to just not follow those people, but I guess there wouldn't be any reason to bother if your actual family and friends aren't there posting normal shit you want to see.

[miami_fan]

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/russian-banks-turn-to-china-as-visa-mastercard-cut-business/

This feels like this is going to be a problem in a year or so.

[CrimsonFox]

geez steam is really lame. They are basically forbidding anyone from even talking about the war. Locking everty thread that starts and forbidding ANY political conversation.

[CrimsonFox]

I just looked, mine is still overflowing with pro-Putin support. Putin's apparently fighting the deep state by invading Ukraine.

have you called them commies yet?

[CrimsonFox]

oh yeah the developers of the video game CYBERPUNK 2077 have stopped sales of it in russia. This has caused lots of review-bombing on steam of the game.

[GrantDawg]

geez steam is really lame. They are basically forbidding anyone from even talking about the war. Locking everty thread that starts and forbidding ANY political conversation.
Is that lame, though? It is gaming platform, not an open discussion forum. It is not like there aren't thousands of other places to discuss the war.

[BYU 14]

Agree, I get enough of the war through conventional sources and general discussion boards, it's nice to go to some places where it isn't at the forefront of discussion so you can get away from it for brief periods.

[NobodyHere]

Poutine Restaurant Chain Forced to Explain It Has No Connection with Putin (https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/poutine-restaurant-chain-forced-to-explain-it-has-no-connection-with-putin/ar-AAUJMLL?li=BBnb2gh)

I've always wanted to try poutine.

[GrantDawg]

Poutine Restaurant Chain Forced to Explain It Has No Connection with Putin (https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/poutine-restaurant-chain-forced-to-explain-it-has-no-connection-with-putin/ar-AAUJMLL?li=BBnb2gh)

I've always wanted to try poutine.
Me, too. Sounds yummy.

[tarcone]

This Zelenskyy dude is good, really good.

He is a strong leader.

[Edward64]

This Zelenskyy dude is good, really good.

He is a strong leader.

If Ukraine survives, he'll definitely win re-election. Their version of George Washington.

[Edward64]

Another general down.

Unsure of the circumstances, I'm sure it'll come out after the war. But in a way, I guess it shows Russian generals aren't afraid to get up close to the action.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/07/russia-ukraine-war-ukraine-claims-it-killed-another-russian-general-other-senior-officers-near-kharkiv.html
Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency said Monday that its country’s forces had killed Russian Army Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, and that other senior Russian Army officers “were also killed or wounded” in action near the city of Kharkiv.

Gerasimov was identified by the intelligence agency as the chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army.

He previously participated in the second Chechen war, and Russian military actions in Syria, according to the agency’s post announcing his demise.
There was also a Lt. Col captured as POW that talked pretty liberally. I get talking if you get tortured but this guy doesn't look tortured.

Captured Russian officer apologizes to Ukraine for 'genocide' (https://nypost.com/2022/03/07/captured-russian-officer-apologizes-to-ukraine-for-genocide/)
A Russian commander captured by Ukraine condemned Moscow’s “genocide” invasion — saying in a remarkable televised statement that the troops were duped into believing Kyiv had been overthrown by Nazis and needed liberating.

National Guard Lt. Col. Astakhov Dmitry Mikhailovich, who was captured along with two other soldiers, said he had been told they were being sent to help Ukraine because it was “dominated by a fascist regime” and that “nationalists and Nazis had seized power.”

[kingfc22]

Propaganda is one hell of a drug re: the Lt Col.

[GrantDawg]

<samp class="EmbedCode-container"><code class="EmbedCode-code"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">�� Approximately 40k foreign fighters (military and ex military) have made it to Kyiv. So many Canadians, they gave them their own unit (500 and growing). ������</p>&mdash; Dean Blundell (@ItsDeanBlundell) <a href="https://twitter.com/ItsDeanBlundell/status/1500970343204274182?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </code></samp>

[GrantDawg]

McDonald's is closing 850 stores in Russia. A couple of days without whatever the Russian equivalent of a Big Mac is, Putin will definitely be forced out. Fatty's rise up!

[JPhillips]

<samp class="EmbedCode-container"><code class="EmbedCode-code"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">�� Approximately 40k foreign fighters (military and ex military) have made it to Kyiv. So many Canadians, they gave them their own unit (500 and growing). ������</p>&mdash; Dean Blundell (@ItsDeanBlundell) <a href="https://twitter.com/ItsDeanBlundell/status/1500970343204274182?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </code></samp>

I'm very suspicious of that number. That would be more foreign fighters than in the entirety of the Spanish Civil War and they would have gotten to Ukraine in just a week.

[BYU 14]

I'm very suspicious of that number. That would be more foreign fighters than in the entirety of the Spanish Civil War and they would have gotten to Ukraine in just a week.

Yeah, that is an eye popping number, and given the logistics I don't see it. Maybe that many inquiries, but hard to believe that many boots on the ground. Of course that could just be for the eyes of Russians, hoping to increase resistance to the war at home.

[NobodyHere]

McDonald's is closing 850 stores in Russia. A couple of days without whatever the Russian equivalent of a Big Mac is, Putin will definitely be forced out. Fatty's rise up!

I disagree with this. We need to encourage these McDs to put more salt and fat into the food so that more Russians are unfit for fighting due to health conditions.

Obesity may be the end to war in the future.

In the US 71% of teenagers are unfit to serve due to health conditions.

Chinese generals say their teens are too fat and masturbate too much (https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4306538/chinese-kids-are-too-fat-and-masturbate-too-much-to-join-the-army-government-claims-adding-theyre-going-blind-from-fiddling-with-their-phones/#:~:text=YOUNG%20Chinese%20people%20are%20too,the%20People's%20Liberation%20Army%20Daily.).

Fat = Peace

[sterlingice]

McDonald's is closing 850 stores in Russia. A couple of days without whatever the Russian equivalent of a Big Mac is, Putin will definitely be forced out. Fatty's rise up!

FYI: When we were in Russia in 2013 (2014?), we went to the famous McDonalds in Moscow on Tverskaya. And you know how there are stories about oddball regional things like the McLobster - we were wanting the see what the Russian equivalent of that was. But, nope - the menu was practically identical to the states. They had like a couple of extra sauces for McNuggets (I remember there was some curry-tasting sauce) and, yeah, the Royale vs Quarter Pounder thing is there, too. I had a Royale with cheese and some McNuggets, iirc. But, basically, same menu as in the states, which was kindof disappointing, honestly.

SI

[sterlingice]

Poland transfers MiG fighters to the U.S. as Ukraine asks for help - POLITICO (https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/08/poland-transfers-mig-fighters-to-the-us-as-ukraine-asks-for-help-00015259)

Poland is handing over 28 MiGs to the US and we're going to backfill with F-16s. Gee... I wonder where those MiGs are going to end up.

As mentioned before, this is a win/win for Poland. They get newer jets on the cheap/free and the US breaks out its checkbook to hand Ukraine some planes.

Bulgaria and Slovakia have MiGs, as well, but have not shown a willingness to do the same:
<samp class="EmbedCode-container"><code class="EmbedCode-code">BREAKING:

Poland has agreed to donate all its 28 MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine via USA.

Poland calls now calls on other NATO members with Soviet era jets to do the same.

Bulgaria has 13 MiG-29s
Slovakia has 11 MiG 29s

Bulgaria also has 8 Sukhoi Su-25 attack aircraft.

�������� pic.twitter.com/ZgWVVr6dGp (https://t.co/ZgWVVr6dGp)
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 8, 2022 (https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1501279280801763330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </code></samp>

SI

[JPhillips]

FYI: When we were in Russia in 2013 (2014?), we went to the famous McDonalds in Moscow on Tverskaya. And you know how there are stories about oddball regional things like the McLobster - we were wanting the see what the Russian equivalent of that was. But, nope - the menu was practically identical to the states. They had like a couple of extra sauces for McNuggets (I remember there was some curry-tasting sauce) and, yeah, the Royale vs Quarter Pounder thing is there, too. I had a Royale with cheese and some McNuggets, iirc. But, basically, same menu as in the states, which was kindof disappointing, honestly.

SI

The best KFC I've ever had was in Fuling, China. It looked like regular KFC, but was Szechuan spicy and delicious. It tasted so much better than American KFC.

[Thomkal]

A way we can all help the people of Ukraine is by spending a minimum of $10

at itch.io on its Bundle for Ukraine. It contains almost 1000 assorted title-games, comics, books, and more from over 700 creators.



Now none of these games are from top companies, but in looking through some there are definitely some you will recognize/have played already. And a lot to discover after that:


Bundle for Ukraine by Necrosoft Games and 732 others - itch.io (https://itch.io/b/1316/bundle-for-ukraine)

[Ksyrup]

Just did a 30 second look through that list and Hidden Folks and Death & Taxes are worth $10 alone.

[rjolley]

A way we can all help the people of Ukraine is by spending a minimum of $10

at itch.io on its Bundle for Ukraine. It contains almost 1000 assorted title-games, comics, books, and more from over 700 creators.



Now none of these games are from top companies, but in looking through some there are definitely some you will recognize/have played already. And a lot to discover after that:


Bundle for Ukraine by Necrosoft Games and 732 others - itch.io (https://itch.io/b/1316/bundle-for-ukraine)

I bought a similar bundle last year for a different cause. Well worth the money.

[Edward64]

So apparently Poland will transfer their Migs to the US, and then the US can get it to Ukraine. Something like 28 Migs according to Reddit.

Not sure how the transfer to Ukraine will work. Maybe we fly Migs to a US base in Europe, Ukrainian pilots go there, and fly really low to avoid detection?

National fighter jet plane laundering scheme. Need to get the Byrde's to advise here.


More info. Doesn't seem that we've agreed to it but got to believe we'll make it happen.

Poland offers MiG fighters to the U.S. as Ukraine asks for help - POLITICO (https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/08/poland-transfers-mig-fighters-to-the-us-as-ukraine-asks-for-help-00015259)
Poland’s announcement appeared to catch the Biden administration off guard. Spokespeople with the U.S. European Command and the State Department declined to comment. Victoria Nuland, undersecretary of State for political affairs, told lawmakers on Tuesday afternoon that this “was a surprise move by the Poles.”

“I saw that announcement by the government of Poland as I was literally driving here today,” she told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “To my knowledge, it wasn’t pre-consulted with us that they planned to give these planes to us. But as you know, we have been having consultations with them for a couple of days now about this request from the Ukrainians to receive their aircraft and were they to donate them, whether we would be able to help support backfill in their own security needs.”

A Pentagon official emailed that “we’ve seen the Polish government’s announcement,” adding, “we have nothing to offer at this time.”

The airspace over Ukraine is still contested, a senior Defense Department official told reporters at the Pentagon Tuesday, with neither the Ukrainians nor the Russians owning the sky.
Poland would most likely receive used American F-16 fighter planes in return for giving up its MiG-29s.

[sterlingice]

Poland offers MiG fighters to the U.S. as Ukraine asks for help - POLITICO (https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/08/poland-transfers-mig-fighters-to-the-us-as-ukraine-asks-for-help-00015259)

Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - Invasion of Ukraine (https://forums.operationsports.com/fofc/showpost.php?p=3362581&postcount=415)

/am I a joke to you/ meme? :D

SI

[NobodyHere]

Just did a 30 second look through that list and Hidden Folks and Death & Taxes are worth $10 alone.

Is "Thirsty Sword Lesbians" any good?

[Edward64]

Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - Invasion of Ukraine (https://forums.operationsports.com/fofc/showpost.php?p=3362581&postcount=415)

/am I a joke to you/ meme? :D

SI

Oh sorry.

[sterlingice]

Oh sorry.

No worries - just giving you a little grief, hence the smiley :D

SI

[Ksyrup]

Is "Thirsty Sword Lesbians" any good?

That one is pretty high up in the bundle queue for some reason.

[SirFozzie]

Is "Thirsty Sword Lesbians" any good?

It's basically She-Ra the RPG, (and by that, I mean the new show), focusing a lot on the relationships (not that KIND) between characters, even villains and heroes.

[Atocep]

The best KFC I've ever had was in Fuling, China. It looked like regular KFC, but was Szechuan spicy and delicious. It tasted so much better than American KFC.

KFC in Germany was much better than the US version as well. The Pizza Hut I went to in Germany was legitimately outstanding pizza. One of the best I've ever had.

[sterlingice]

Please tell me we aren't going to bungle this plane deal (again). Find some creative way to make it happen. History's not going to remember what BS story you made up to make it happen and this isn't going to move Putin's needle on his next move. He's going to do what he's going to do, mostly independent of our actions. But history will remember if you had a way to help and failed to do so.

EDIT: I also am totally open to the idea that it's just a smokescreen for the US doing it and taking the heat. I mean, VP Harris is on her way to Poland right now.

SI

[Lathum]

KFC in Germany was much better than the US version as well. The Pizza Hut I went to in Germany was legitimately outstanding pizza. One of the best I've ever had.

I wonder if it has to do with Europe having MUCH stricter regulations surrounding what chemicals can go into food.

[Groundhog]

I just realised I've had McDonald's in every country I've ever visited that has stores EXCEPT the US. Strange. Japan was my favourite so far, teriyaki chicken burger.


Love what Ukraine are doing with the Russian POWs too, genius move.

[RainMaker]

When I got to Bahrain, I ate so much McDonalds the first month. They had this sandwich in a pita that was actually pretty good. Biggest knock was they didn't really use ketchup but BBQ sauce instead.

Like 90% of their business was American folks, so I think they just thought we loved BBQ.

[Edward64]

Easy for me as an armchair general, but do wonder if, instead of saying no boots on the ground in Ukraine, maybe say we are going to send boots on the ground in western Ukraine to establish a safe zone for non-combatants & humanitarian purposes.

In addition to truly protecting non-combatants, this would have allowed a part of Ukraine to remain Ukrainian in the worse case of a successful blitzkrieg.

[Edward64]

From DailyMail so take it FWIW.

Supposedly long car line to get last of McDonalds in Russia. There's a video that pans around.

More of a BK and CFA guy, but yeah, I can understand trying to get a taste of a Big Mac (and special sauce) knowing it'll be a while before I get another chance.

Moscow McDonald's is swamped with customers before the chain closes across Russia | Daily Mail Online (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10593469/Moscow-McDonalds-swamped-customers-chain-closes-Russia.html)

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/09/09/55135689-10593469-image-a-11_1646818855458.jpg

[Ksyrup]

The only thing I've eaten at McDs in the past decade is breakfast or an occasional apple pie when we stop for a pee break on drives and everyone else gets a snack. I haven't been to Burger King in probably 2 decades at least. They opened a brand new one in our town about a decade ago and I've never been.

[Atocep]

I wonder if it has to do with Europe having MUCH stricter regulations surrounding what chemicals can go into food.

I think part of it is they don't have fast food or delivery so ingrained into their society. Pizza hut was strictly a sit down place. KFC was a sit down place that you could get food to go. So these places aren't in a constant rush to get food out as fast as possible.

I'm sure there's more to it than that, but I do think it plays a big role in the overall quality.

[JonInMiddleGA]

But history will remember if you had a start WW III and did so

Fixed that for you.

If Poland wants to give them planes, by all means, give them planes.

For the U.S. to be conned into being the source would be the single dumbest move in the history of the planet.

[larrymcg421]

I just realised I've had McDonald's in every country I've ever visited that has stores EXCEPT the US. Strange. Japan was my favourite so far, teriyaki chicken burger.


I went to Jamaica and they have no McDonald's because McDonald's refused to use local meat. They have several KFC's, which were insanely popular. The line of cars was always insanely long when I was there.

[sterlingice]

Fixed that for you.

If Poland wants to give them planes, by all means, give them planes.

For the U.S. to be conned into being the source would be the single dumbest move in the history of the planet.

There are lots of ways to do this that don't involve just flying them over from Germany, which was a really stupid plan.

SI

[RainMaker]

<samp class="EmbedCode-container"><code class="EmbedCode-code"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A woman in labor is carried out from under the rubble of the destroyed maternity ward in Mariupol, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ukraine%EF%B8%8F?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ukraine️</a> <a href="https://t.co/l4rUhD1heS">pic.twitter.com/l4rUhD1heS</a></p>&mdash; Ukraine Reporter (@StateOfUkraine) <a href="https://twitter.com/StateOfUkraine/status/1501621664878153731?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </code></samp>

[Flasch186]

I think we&rsquo;re closer to ww3 than you know.

If the images and video coming out get more deplorable you could see a real public outcry to do &ldquo;something&rdquo; and our attempts, whether right or wrong, to toe the line increases the chances of a &lsquo;mistakes&rsquo; being made.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sterlingice]

I think we’re closer to ww3 than you know.

If the images and video coming out get more deplorable you could see a real public outcry to do “something” and our attempts, whether right or wrong, to toe the line increases the chances of a ‘mistakes’ being made.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There's a really good chance we're already in what the history books will call WW3. I doubt that people living in October 1939 really thought they were in WW2, but a regional European war. But it's widely regarded WW2 starts with Germany invades Poland.

The mostly likely way that doesn't happen is, of course, if Russia is rolled back and/or Putin killed. If Russia succeeds in rolling over Ukraine, maybe this isn't actively WW3, but it's probably akin to the 1938 and 1939 runup with Germany annexing Austria, et al. If not, then we'll be talking about Georgia and Crimea as those things.

It's also why I don't think it matters all that much what the US does with regards to, say, the MiGs from Poland. The die is already cast - we don't have a part to play in this in terms of "is Putin/isn't Putin" going to do something. He already knows what his limits and plans are. It's clear that the optics of it don't matter to him. At most, it might sway China a little one way or another with regards to what they are going to do but I bet they already know most of their plans, too. If the US, say, did something unpredictable like drop marines on the ground in western Ukraine and lights up the sky with F-16s - ok, then everyone re-calibrates. But I'm sure Russia already has already assessed what they think everyone is going to do and their plan is based on that. China, too. So long as we're only doing half measures like economic sanctions and supplying arms but not troops, the plans are no different.

Also, remember this, too, when there's some story in a month about how some American or German or French or Ukrainian did something in a month - it's a pretext as the plan has already likely been made.

SI

[bhlloy]

The next flashpoint is when an active serviceman from a NATO country among the 40k volunteers who have allegedly gone to Ukraine gets captured or killed and that gets used for an escalation. That is absolutely a story that Putin has written and is ready to use.

Just waiting to see which spark lights all the touch paper that has been left lying around at this point. Putin knows he has no endgame at this point except the nuclear option - we can only hope he’s thinking figuratively rather than literally

[RainMaker]

I think the best hope is people in the country rise up. The sanctions don't really impact the oligarchs or Putin personally, but they do mess with the rest of the country.

[bhlloy]

I basically have no hope of that happening when you hear what the average Russian on the street is hearing. If there’s one thing Putin and his circle hasn’t forgotten from the Soviet days it’s how to shut out the outside world and run an effective propaganda campaign.

[Ksyrup]

If there’s one thing Putin and his circle hasn’t forgotten from the Soviet days it’s how to shut out the outside world and run an effective propaganda campaign.

... with a little help from their friends.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Politically-fueled brain rot. <a href="https://t.co/8rpTel5zq3">pic.twitter.com/8rpTel5zq3</a></p>&mdash; Kimberly Ross 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@SouthernKeeks) <a href="https://twitter.com/SouthernKeeks/status/1501674753932894220?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[PilotMan]

I just realised I've had McDonald's in every country I've ever visited that has stores EXCEPT the US. Strange. Japan was my favourite so far, teriyaki chicken burger.


Love what Ukraine are doing with the Russian POWs too, genius move.

The last big mac I had was an abomination. I doubt I'll ever eat another one.

[Solecismic]

The Chinese media referenced the Azov in Hong Kong yesterday.

That's a nice rabbit hole to live in for a while. But it explains where Xi is right now, and that he's going to continue to allow Putin to do this - even as the invasion becomes more and more barbaric every day.

Apparently, members of Azov photographed themselves in Hong Kong during the protests a few years ago. I don't think there's any evidence they were there by invitation, or that they participated in any way. I could be wrong. They say it was "protest tourism," which actually makes some sense. There might even be a connection to Charlottesville in there, if you're interested in some high-level cunicular activity.

Much is made of Azov's official role as part of Ukraine's National Guard, involved in the battles in eastern Ukraine. It doesn't have all that much influence in Ukraine (the one political party that would support it gets all of 2% of the national vote), but it's there and there's no mistaking the imagery - this is a neo-Nazi group rather than a bunch of tattooed soccer fans.

Putin apparently thinks, or finds it convenient to connect, the genesis of Azov to the US-leaning group that overthrew the Russian-friendly government in the Maidan uprising of 2014. Putin refers to this quite negatively in his rambling essay from last year. He says the US sponsored this, which is possible. He invaded Crimea the next day and the new government was much more pro-US.

That Xi is completely on board and references the same group as Putin did... this isn't going away easily and it's not going away with more sanctions.

[Edward64]

We are in an economic, technological, political (e.g. New Silk Road), and a military influence war with China right now. Trump pushed the issue and I agree it needed to be done. Before Trump, all we got was lip service from all previous administrations. Biden is continuing the Trump strategy albeit not as much in your face.

I read about Xi returning to Iowa (?) to visit the American family that he got to know during his college years here. I remember thinking having Xi as premier would be great as he's experienced US culture and understands us (at least better than other Chinese premiers).

Because he is the Chinese Premier, he is (understandably) vested in growing China economically, technologically, politically & militarily at all cost and at the expense of other countries. It is not a zero sum game (or pie) but we are at the stage where (generally) a +++ for China is a -- for the US.

Although I would love a Matt Damon "The Martian" kumbaya moment, I think we know it is highly unlikely. Forget trying to appease China. The US just has to get its house in order and do what is necessary to out-compete China.

If I was a senior advisor to future Presidents, I would advise


Future administrations follow the Trump, Biden approach. Specifics may differ but overall recognition we are in a "war" is the correct one. Recognize that China-Russia alliance is what we need to counter. Recognize that China-Russia-India alliance will be very bad, we need to convince India to not be as neutral in the future
Identify strategic areas where we are vulnerable to China in raw materials, manufacturing & technology and remediate it. Globalization with China at the core is dead, but certainly spread the wealth to other currently more friendly and reliable nations
Do the brain drain thing. Encourage well educated Chinese to immigrate to US. Do not allow dual citizenship (from the US point of view). It's to the point where I would say allow dual citizenship for all current countries we have agreements with but call out & strip that privilege for Chinese immigrants. No, this isn't racist
Continue to develop "the Quad" in Asia. India is a tough one but India would welcome much more US commitment (have to drop what's left of our commitment to Pakistan). Eventually, add other Asian countries to the Quad (although I suspect this would require a good deal of US economic and military investment to those countries)
Grow military footprint and relationships with friendlier Asian & Oceana countries. I would call out Vietnam as a good target, they do not like China that much
Somehow, not sure how, increase the chance of a Chinese market meltdown (maybe enroll George Soros to the cause? :))

etc.

This will take $ and long term commitment, not just 4 or 8 years of a single Presidency.

[Brian Swartz]

I definitely agree that appeasing China isn't a good idea, but we've been doing that for decades and we're at the point where economically the consequences of not continuing to do so would not be tenable politically. Suffice to say they're far worse than gas prices going up a moderate amount. Xi operates as if China already has a long-term, secure, strategic advantage. He is not wrong.

1. Agreed.

2. Impossible. We can minimize this but it's a plain fact of life the some resources we need don't exist in the quantities we need them outside of trade with regimes like China. At a certain point it's like telling people living in the middle of a desert to farm. There are some things that simply can't be done.

3. Agree overall with the brain drain strategy, but in the short-medium term that's a losing strategy. The dual citizenship proposal actually is definitionally racist.

4. I think that sheer geographic proximity and more similar values ensure that most of Asia ultimately leans towards China, not us. This is for the same reasons that Europe's interests in Ukraine are different than ours.

5. Certainly, although I don't expect it'll help much.

Ultimately in the decades to come the US, China, and everyone else is going to be forced to accept that as important as our geopolitical rivalries seem, the word is interconnected to the point that it's inevitable for us to rely on each other and such concerns are pretty much details. Even if we're willing to tolerate the effects of climate change to the degree that we continue to focus on the present, oil demand continues to rise and oil discoveries are not keeping pace. That bill will come due eventually, and when it does our current squabbles are very likely to be seen as the good ole days.

[miami_fan]

Roman Abramovich transferred control of Chelsea to the charitable foundation. He must fear having the team taken away by the UK government.

Do it.

Roman Abramovich unable to sell Chelsea after UK freezes assets | Chelsea | The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/mar/10/roman-abramovich-unable-to-sell-chelsea-after-uk-freezes-assets)

[flere-imsaho]

While I agree that U.S. foreign policy needed (and needs) to work harder to challenge China's growing sphere of influence, it should be noted that Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the TPP, a trade deal designed specifically with this as one of its aims.

And, as a further consequence, China was able to engineer an even larger Asian trading bloc (https://unctad.org/news/asia-pacific-partnership-creates-new-centre-gravity-global-trade#:~:text=A%20new%20Asia%2DPacific%20free,study%20published%20on%2015%20December.).

[NobodyHere]

It's doubtful congress would've ratified the TPP anyways.

[JPhillips]

I swear, you purposefully misstate how dual citizenship works just to torment me.

There's no record in the US of who has citizenship from other countries and no good way to go about getting that information. Then, there's no way for a person in country X to go about renouncing citizenship of country Y. They'd have to go back to the other country and even then it isn't always possible.

Basically everyone that was born on foreign soil or has a foreign national parent has dual citizenship and it makes no difference to the resident country.

[Edward64]

I swear, you purposefully misstate how dual citizenship works just to torment me.

There's no record in the US of who has citizenship from other countries and no good way to go about getting that information. Then, there's no way for a person in country X to go about renouncing citizenship of country Y. They'd have to go back to the other country and even then it isn't always possible.

Basically everyone that was born on foreign soil or has a foreign national parent has dual citizenship and it makes no difference to the resident country.

You are wrong. Of course the US knows what other country you are from before becoming a US citizen. It is definitely in the computers somewhere at INS. The US just doesn't want nor care enough to pursue it.

You are also wrong about "no way for a person in country X to go about renouncing citizenship of country Y. They'd have to go back to the other country ...". I formally renounced my other citizenship in the US at the other country's embassy. Easy enough to do, fill out a form and hand in that other passport.

You may have a point about China specifically and your child's adoption. But you are wrong when you say "no way" or "no record" in the broader sense.

We've had this discussion before. You think I'm wrong, I know you are wrong from my personal experience.

[BYU 14]

You are wrong. Of course the US knows what other country you are from before becoming a US citizen. It is definitely in the computers somewhere at INS. The US just doesn't want nor care enough to pursue it.

You are also wrong about "no way for a person in country X to go about renouncing citizenship of country Y. They'd have to go back to the other country ...". I formally renounced my other citizenship in the US at the other country's embassy. Easy enough to do, fill out a form and hand in that other passport.

You may have a point about China specifically and your child's adoption. But you are wrong when you say "no way" or "no record" in the broader sense.

We've had this discussion before. You think I'm wrong, I know you are wrong from my personal experience.

I have zero faith for people to actually put an ounce of effort into tracking that. I am a dual citizen, US and England, I needed a passport 3 years ago. I had one before, served in the US military, the passport agency can see I am a naturalized citizen through my A number, yet they rejected my request. Why? They now want a copy of my N-565 form, which by the way costs over $500.00, which I paid for and requested 3 years ago, which I still don't have.

There is so much needless red tape in the morass that is US immigration, they are not going to put any effort into accurately recording/tracking duals, at least not until the next boogeyman from some other country appears.

By the way, I contacted the nearest British embassy and I can send my birth certificate and have my British passport in 4-6 weeks. When I stop being stubborn over insisting I get it from the US I will relent and do it.

[Edward64]

I have zero faith for people to actually put an ounce of effort into tracking that. I am a dual citizen, US and England, I needed a passport 3 years ago. I had one before, served in the US military, the passport agency can see I am a naturalized citizen through my A number, yet they rejected my request. Why? They now want a copy of my N-565 form, which by the way costs over $500.00, which I paid for and requested 3 years ago, which I still don't have.

There is so much needless red tape in the morass that is US immigration, they are not going to put any effort into accurately recording/tracking duals, at least not until the next boogeyman from some other country appears.

By the way, I contacted the nearest British embassy and I can send my birth certificate and have my British passport in 4-6 weeks. When I stop being stubborn over insisting I get it from the US I will relent and do it.

Certainly do not disagree that it's a hassle and INS is inefficient. The orig context to the discussion was "no record" and "no way to renounce". The US does not want nor care enough (certainly when born US and become dual citizen of another country) but if you are naturalized, there is a record of prior citizenship in a database somewhere, easy enough to do some SQL joins.

I take it you've not tried to renounce the UK citizenship? Just to show that its doable with the UK if you want to ...

https://www.gov.uk/renounce-british-nationality/print
Fill in the form online. You’ll usually be able to keep your documents while your application is being processed.

If you live in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or a British overseas territory, you have to apply in person or by post instead. Check which you can do with your governor’s office.

If you live elsewhere, you can apply by post. This will take much longer than applying online because of coronavirus (COVID-19). Avoid applying by post, especially if you need your documents back by a specific date.
You’ll get a ‘declaration of renunciation’ if your application is successful. This will be your application form, officially signed and stamped.

The date your citizenship or status stops will be shown on the form.

So just challenging what JPhillips said is demonstrably false in the broader sense (with maybe an exception with the intricacies of Chinese adoption). There is a process to renounce UK citizenship and in my prior country of birth.

[larrymcg421]

I love the idea of throwing "no, this isn't racist" at the end of a statement and then adding no explanation whatsoever. Like the phrase is a get out of racist free card.

[Edward64]

I love the idea of throwing "no, this isn't racist" at the end of a statement and then adding no explanation whatsoever. Like the phrase is a get out of racist free card.

Ask and you shall receive (shortly).

[larrymcg421]

I didn't ask and have no interest in receiving.

[JPhillips]

Going to the embassy is going back to that country. My point was that you can't renounce citizenship of another country in the US and the US doesn't and for some countries probably can't track that information.

And you're only talking about naturalized citizens, but there are lots of people that are born with dual citizenship and the US government has no way of tracking that information.

I suppose you could make people renounce their previous citizenship before being naturalized, but then that would just allow the first country to deny the request so that people couldn't immigrate to the US. Do you want to provide China a way to keep all Chinese citizens from ever becoming American citizens?

[Edward64]

Bonus answer from wiki on "no way to renounce" for China citizenships naturalized to US citizenship

Chinese nationality law - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_nationality_law)
Chinese nationality can be relinquished by making a declaration of renunciation.[51] It is also automatically revoked when persons from mainland China who reside abroad voluntarily acquire a foreign nationality.[52]

[Edward64]

Going to the embassy is going back to that country. My point was that you can't renounce citizenship of another country in the US and the US doesn't and for some countries probably can't track that information.

See UK link I provided to BYU above. Again, you obviously can renounce citizenship without going to the prior country or embassy. I just shared my personal experience.

And you're only talking about naturalized citizens, but there are lots of people that are born with dual citizenship and the US government has no way of tracking that information.

I don't have any expertise on those born with dual citizenship. I'll put that under exceptions that I mentioned.

I suppose you could make people renounce their previous citizenship before being naturalized, but then that would just allow the first country to deny the request so that people couldn't immigrate to the US. Do you want to provide China a way to keep all Chinese citizens from ever becoming American citizens?

Again, don't see why it has to be "before". Do it "after" you get US citizenship. I've shown you there are processes in place to do it (and no, you don't need to leave the US).

So getting back to original discussion topic

There's no record in the US of who has citizenship from other countries and no good way to go about getting that information. .

False. I'll grant you there are exceptions but definitely not holistically like your statement.

Then, there's no way for a person in country X to go about renouncing citizenship of country Y. They'd have to go back to the other country and even then it isn't always possible.

Again false, Demonstrably so. Maybe some exceptions for Chinese adoption.

[Edward64]

I didn't ask and have no interest in receiving.

Okay, np. Feel free to continue to snipe and troll as majority of your other bros.

[JPhillips]

I'm not talking about physically returning to the other country, just that you have to file any paperwork with country X, not with the US government. Country X doesn't then forward the paperwork to the US, and I'm sure some countries wouldn't if asked, for example, China.

As for citizenship status in China, that may be how the law is worded, but it isn't enforced. We left China with a Chinese passport that was still good and Chinese citizenship documents. Someone like Eileen Gu retained citizenship due to her mother's citizenship. In practice, the Chinese government isn't revoking citizenship, in part I expect due to the problem of not knowing who is given citizenship in other countries.

[NobodyHere]

Who knew that mundane citizenship procedures could spark a heated argument around here?

[Edward64]

I'm not talking about physically returning to the other country, just that you have to file any paperwork with country X, not with the US government. Country X doesn't then forward the paperwork to the US, and I'm sure some countries wouldn't if asked, for example, China.

As for citizenship status in China, that may be how the law is worded, but it isn't enforced. We left China with a Chinese passport that was still good and Chinese citizenship documents. Someone like Eileen Gu retained citizenship due to her mother's citizenship. In practice, the Chinese government isn't revoking citizenship, in part I expect due to the problem of not knowing who is given citizenship in other countries.

I don't disagree with what you say (well, maybe about how Eileen "retained" citizenship vs given a free pass). I disagreed with your 2 points that you originally used to respond to my bullets.

I hope, at the very least, you can see that I did not "purposefully misstate how dual citizenship works".

[Edward64]

Who knew that mundane citizenship procedures could spark a heated argument around here?

Where were you in the Trump thread? It's been discussed a couple times before.

[larrymcg421]

Okay, np. Feel free to continue to snipe and troll as majority of your other bros.

If I was trolling, I would've let you waste time on an explanation I wasn't interested in.

If you don't see how ridiculous it sounds to make a statement, then at the end add a disclaimer "no this isn't racist", then I can't help you. For me, I generally try to avoid saying anything where I'd feel the need to add such a disclaimer.

[Edward64]

If I was trolling, I would've let you waste time on an explanation I wasn't interested in.

If you don't see how ridiculous it sounds to make a statement, then at the end add a disclaimer "no this isn't racist", then I can't help you. For me, I generally try to avoid saying anything where I'd feel the need to add such a disclaimer.

Didn’t know that because you typically don’t say much other than toss in zingers when trying to be relevant. Feel free to ignore me like your other bros.

[Mota]

Hey everybody, what's going on with the invasion of Ukraine like the subject says?

[BYU 14]

I take it you've not tried to renounce the UK citizenship? Just to show that its doable with the UK if you want to ...

https://www.gov.uk/renounce-british-nationality/print



No desire to renounce my English citizenship, proud to be a dual citizen of both countries, despite the warts of both, and ending up there in retirement is still very much on the table.

[Edward64]

Hey everybody, what's going on with the invasion of Ukraine like the subject says?

(Slick, I see what you did there)

Basically, just from the top of my head ...

Some pretty horrific pics; a video of a Stinger taking down a Russian helicopter and it crashing; no Mig-for-F16 deal; no NATO membership anytime soon; possible fast tracked EU membership; NATO supplying a ton of anti-tank, anti-air weapons; supposedly 16k to 40k foreigners have volunteered for Ukraine's International Legion; Russians are intentionally bombing hospitals & killing civilians; the 40-60 km convoy is stuck; Kyiv is surround or about to be; Kyiv could fall anytime depending on who you ask; at least a couple Russian generals killed; India is neutral; China officially neutral (but we know better); lots of displaced refugees; accusations of Ukrainian racism in getting Africans & Indians out; fears of Russia doing something bad with the nuclear power plants they have control over; ship that took Snake Island was destroyed; some Russian soldiers calling home and also holding press briefing; McD's (and many others) out of Russia; Russian economy is cratering; Russian support for the war is still surprisingly high (but may be due to misinformation & some patriotism going on); Putin is hidden away in some bomb shelter; ruble exchange rate is like 1:130 to 1:150; Russian will stop grain exports; west won't be importing Russian oil (but think, will still be importing Russian gas); MOEX stock exchange for the most part closed; oligarchs have some toys taken away; Ukrainians are really suffering; common Russian folks will start really suffering; negotiations have broken off without much result

Zelenskyy will be relected President for rest of his life (if Ukraine survives); Putin will be relected President for rest of his life if he survives; Xi will be relected Premier for rest of his life; odds are that Biden won't be reelected in 2024

[Edward64]

No desire to renounce my English citizenship, proud to be a dual citizen of both countries, despite the warts of both, and ending up there in retirement is still very much on the table.

Do I know you? Wife run marathons by chance?

Wife has a friend. Her friend and husband are Brits and became naturalized citizens. Son born here.

They also think they'll eventually retire in UK after son graduates and starts working.

[albionmoonlight]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In a speech to supporters, Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) called President Zelenskyy &quot;a thug.&quot; <br><br>&quot;Remember that the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt and is incredibly evil and has been pushing woke ideologies,&quot; he said.<a href="https://twitter.com/WRAL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WRAL</a> has the video: <a href="https://t.co/9zx73FP5Il">https://t.co/9zx73FP5Il</a></p>&mdash; David Gura (@davidgura) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidgura/status/1501958391173894146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

One of Putin's many mistakes seems to have been recruiting his Congressfolk from among those too stupid to keep the quiet parts quiet.

[RainMaker]

While I agree that U.S. foreign policy needed (and needs) to work harder to challenge China's growing sphere of influence, it should be noted that Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the TPP, a trade deal designed specifically with this as one of its aims.

And, as a further consequence, China was able to engineer an even larger Asian trading bloc (https://unctad.org/news/asia-pacific-partnership-creates-new-centre-gravity-global-trade#:~:text=A%20new%20Asia%2DPacific%20free,study%20published%20on%2015%20December.).

Also remember that Jimmy Carter was right and a lot of the people complaining about gas prices were people who supported the policies that led to it.

[RainMaker]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We forecast annual average growth in 2022 of -15% for Russia. This growth rate compares the average level of GDP in 2022 to that in 2021, so the implied GDP drop is far deeper at near 30% (dots). Russia's GDP goes back to early 2000 levels. Two decades of growth go up in smoke... <a href="https://t.co/YvsEggtBMj">pic.twitter.com/YvsEggtBMj</a></p>&mdash; Robin Brooks (@RobinBrooksIIF) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobinBrooksIIF/status/1501655620105166852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[albionmoonlight]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We forecast annual average growth in 2022 of -15% for Russia. This growth rate compares the average level of GDP in 2022 to that in 2021, so the implied GDP drop is far deeper at near 30% (dots). Russia's GDP goes back to early 2000 levels. Two decades of growth go up in smoke... <a href="https://t.co/YvsEggtBMj">pic.twitter.com/YvsEggtBMj</a></p>&mdash; Robin Brooks (@RobinBrooksIIF) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobinBrooksIIF/status/1501655620105166852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Play stupid games; win stupid prizes.

[Flasch186]

Cawthorn

Holy shot

How is the guy still allowed to be there?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ksyrup]

There's an off-color joke about Cawthorn seriously backpeddling on his comments but I... oh wait, that's it.

[RainMaker]

How is the guy still allowed to be there?


Up until a couple of weeks ago, this was mostly the party line.

[Brian Swartz]

Also remember that Jimmy Carter was right and a lot of the people complaining about gas prices were people who supported the policies that led to it.

Yep. Carter was better than he's given credit for most of the time.

[Edward64]

Kinda makes sense that Putin would ask friendlies to come join the fight. It shows weakness because Russia should be able to handle this themselves but I can understand as they underestimated duration and the western world's response with military equipment, economic embargo etc.

And uptick in escalation but its not as if the west hasn't escalated either. I wonder how Syrian fighters would fare in the cold, will some desert, can they even communicate (do Syrians speak Russian?).

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60705486
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for foreign volunteers to be able to fight against Ukrainian forces.

Speaking at a Russian security council meeting, he said those who wanted to volunteer to fight with Russia-backed forces should be allowed to.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said there were 16,000 volunteers in the Middle East ready to fight alongside Russia-backed forces.

US officials said these could include Syrians skilled in urban combat.

Moscow is a long-standing ally of Syria and Mr Putin has been a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country's civil war.

"If you see that there are these people who want of their own accord, not for money, to come to help the people living in Donbas, then we need to give them what they want and help them get to the conflict zone," Mr Putin told his defence minister.

Mr Shoigu also proposed handing over captured Western anti-tank missile systems to Russian-backed rebel fighters in the breakaway Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in the Donbas region.

"Please do this," Mr Putin said.

[Edward64]

Had a good chuckle (and was thinking about a couple FOFC members that can really learn from this and ramp up their trolling A-game). Wouldn't want this to happen to the common Russian but I view them as an extension of the propaganda apparatus.

If I was being bombarded with endless trolling calls and texts, I'd change my number. I know my T-Mobile anti-spam works but it's not near 100%. I know it'll be a hassle to change with the cell service, change with online accounts, letting friends & family know etc. but definitely better than this.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60705486
On Thursday’s episode of The Evening With Vladimir Soloviev, state TV propagandist Vladimir Soloviev complained that he and editor-in-chief of RT Margarita Simonyan are being terrorized by unknown individuals, receiving endless calls and texts about Russia’s military activities in Ukraine. He griped: “Margarita and I can show our telephones to demonstrate that we’re getting a thousand calls and texts per hour.”

Several days earlier, two other state TV propagandists, Olga Skabeeva and her husband Evgeny Popov, also reported a barrage of calls. Skabeeva, who hosts the state TV show 60 Minutes, angrily yelled that Ukrainians or their supporters have been “endlessly calling everybody, everybody, all citizens of Russia, including me and Evgeny!” Later in the show, she loudly interrupted a panelist to grumble about being subjected to a “mass attack that started at 2 a.m… we started getting calls from the territory of Ukraine, two to three minutes apart, Ukrainian and Polish phone numbers calling nonstop… And then, text messages with threats to kill me and my family, and photos—endless photos—of corpses, which they say are the corpses of Russian soldiers!”

[Edward64]

Read a post about Putin's mistress Alina Kabaeva and their 4 kids living in Switzerland. Don't think you can do much with kids born in Switzerland, and the article says mistress may have Swiss citizenship also. But it sure would be nice if the mistress could be "deported for falsifying (something)", sent back to Russia, and introduce another big headache for Putin.

“While Putin carries out his assault on the Ukraine, attacking innocent citizens and causing a refugee crisis, his family is holed up in a very private and very secure chalet somewhere in Switzerland — for now, at least,” a source told us.

Kabaeva, an Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast, reportedly has four children with the Russian leader, 69, but the two have never officially confirmed it.

Sources say they share 7-year-old twin daughters, who were born near Lugano, Switzerland, in February 2015. It is believed they also have two sons.

“Alina has two young boys and twin girls with Putin who were born in Switzerland,” a source told Page Six about Putin’s alleged children with Kabaeva, 38. “The kids all have Swiss passports, and I imagine she does also.”

[Icy]

Kinda makes sense that Putin would ask friendlies to come join the fight. It shows weakness because Russia should be able to handle this themselves but I can understand as they underestimated duration and the western world's response with military equipment, economic embargo etc.

And uptick in escalation but its not as if the west hasn't escalated either. I wonder how Syrian fighters would fare in the cold, will some desert, can they even communicate (do Syrians speak Russian?).

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60705486

That would be very weird.

I guess worldwide volunteers are going to fight for Ukraine against the Russian invasion, or against communism or just to defended the weak side.

But what about Syrians fighting vs Ukranians?? in the name of what? Syrians are not communist, they don't have any kind of historical relationship vs Ukraine nor any desire to go to the cold north far from home. So either they are paid mercenaries or forced to go by the Syrian government, but no way they are just volunteers.

[miami_fan]

That would be very weird.

I guess worldwide volunteers are going to fight for Ukraine against the Russian invasion, or against communism or just to defended the weak side.

But what about Syrians fighting vs Ukranians?? in the name of what? Syrians are not communist, they don't have any kind of historical relationship vs Ukraine nor any desire to go to the cold north far from home. So either they are paid mercenaries or forced to go by the Syrian government, but no way they are just volunteers.

Russia has been hanging out in Syria for years now so there is a some semblance of a relationship there. Beyond getting paid (reportedly $200-$300), it would not be surprising if the Syrians have bought into the same Russian propaganda against Ukraine that others have. Ukraine could serve as a proxy for the West.

It would not shock me if the Syrians were not the only ones offering up their services for a price.

[sterlingice]

Russia has been hanging out in Syria for years now so there is a some semblance of a relationship there. Beyond getting paid (reportedly $200-$300), it would not be surprising if the Syrians have bought into the same Russian propaganda against Ukraine that others have. Ukraine could serve as a proxy for the West.

It would not shock me if the Syrians were not the only ones offering up their services for a price.

If you're Russia, why not pay for foreign soldiers (other than maybe you won't get your money's worth)? The rules you're trying to hold the West to, you don't care about - they're just a tool to use against them and they're dumb enough to fall for it.

SI

[miami_fan]

Messaging back home and abroad?

Remember this is supposed to be about Russians soldiers coming saving the homeland and Russians in Ukraine from the Nazis. It does not work as well if the videos of the conquering don't have Russians in them.

Now it is not a major problem with the Kremlin's expertise in producing fakes videos but still. The idea that Russia has to hire foreign soldiers to defeat Ukraine is not something I think Putin came in thinking would be a requirement.

[Edward64]

Russia has been hanging out in Syria for years now so there is a some semblance of a relationship there. Beyond getting paid (reportedly $200-$300), it would not be surprising if the Syrians have bought into the same Russian propaganda against Ukraine that others have. Ukraine could serve as a proxy for the West.

It would not shock me if the Syrians were not the only ones offering up their services for a price.

I think paying to get them to fight is reasonable. From what I've read, Ukraine's international legion are also going to get paid some including Ukrainian citizenship.

I can honestly see it as helping an ally. Russia help Assad stay in power. Assad is popular with some groups in Syria. But yeah, messaging is problematic. It'll probably work within Russia just because of the propaganda apparatus.

If I was Russia, I would also offer citizenship when it's all said and done. I can see that helping allies that live in way less fortunate circumstances. I'm not sure anyone would want to immigrate to Russia immediately, but 5-10 years, there will be a semblance of normalcy.

[Edward64]

Third Russian general to bite the dust. There's also that Chechnya "general" but won't count him.

I assume NATO intel is somehow helping these hits.

Ukraine latest news: Biden warns US intervention in Ukraine would mean WW3 - BBC News (https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60685883?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=622b6820ec502b53cd481afb%26Death%20of%20Russian%20general%20confirmed%20by%20Western%20officials%262022-03-11T15%3A19%3A47.781Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:b5ebf829-484f-4b7e-943b-801f042f0139&pinned_post_asset_id=622b6820ec502b53cd481afb&pinned_post_type=share)
Western officials have confirmed that a third Russian major general has been killed in Ukraine, adding that he was from Russia's eastern military district.

Officials didn't name the general, but earlier Ukraine's military said Maj Gen Andrei Kolesnikov, commander of the 29th army of Russia's eastern district, had been killed.

Analysts have previously said that the presence of high-ranking military figures on or near the battlefield could be a sign that Russia's operations are not going to plan.

[MIJB#19]

If you're Russia, why not pay for foreign soldiers (other than maybe you won't get your money's worth)? The rules you're trying to hold the West to, you don't care about - they're just a tool to use against them and they're dumb enough to fall for it.

SIMaybe these Syrians feel like they've been liberated/supported by Russia in the wars inside Syria and now feel the courtesy to return the favor? Many western European countries blindly followed the USA in the invasion of Iraq, regardless whether the means were just. That's what allies sometimes do.

[cuervo72]

I know there are "World War III" concerns. Which I guess are mostly focused on nuclear weapons. But who else on the Russia side gets pulled in that they might not already?

[MIJB#19]

I know there are "World War III" concerns. Which I guess are mostly focused on nuclear weapons. But who else on the Russia side gets pulled in that they might not already?It heavily leans on what side China would pick, doesn't it?

[tarcone]

In a Nuke war it would be US, UK, France, Israeli vs. Russia

If China joins Russia, India joins us and Pakistan joins Russia.

You know who Iran and NK will side with, themselves.

[sterlingice]

It heavily leans on what side China would pick, doesn't it?

And I get the impression China wants this proxy war to drain everyone else. I don't think they want WW3.

SI

[tarcone]

And I get the impression China wants this proxy war to drain everyone else. I don't think they want WW3.

SI

Good point. Everyone gets war weary and they swoop in and take Taiwan

[cuervo72]

Well right, that's what I'm wondering. Would Pakistan or India even want to be bothered? I guess the question is, is Russia one of the major axes at this point. Forty years ago, sure. You have two superpowers, each with their stables. Does that still hold?

[sterlingice]

Well right, that's what I'm wondering. Would Pakistan or India even want to be bothered? I guess the question is, is Russia one of the major axes at this point. Forty years ago, sure. You have two superpowers, each with their stables. Does that still hold?

I think China would have to see a direct threat to their 20/50/100 year type plan to intervene. Maybe if they think the West unites a little too much? But, at most, they're going to just supply money and goods - I don't think they want to break out their military until they're perfectly ready to strike. Weakening Russia is good for them, long term - I don't think they see Russia as a partner so much as a resource to exploit. Weakening them globally helps China again, unless it gives the West or India or their Asian rivals too much power somehow. Like if they thought NATO would take over Russia and go imperialist, stripping it down for parts and resources, they'd be worried. They know the West won't do that so they're content to let them weaken themselves with this war for "ideology" and push Russia into an even more subservient position to them.

SI

[Solecismic]

It would defeat China's interests to become involved. Putin has been a useful idiot, but that's where it stops.

India and Pakistan want no part of this, but are content to let China lead Putin. According to Zelensky, Bennett (Israel's PM) just told him to surrender to Russia - I don't think Israel would get involved, either. The big question is whether NATO would stand firm, and I don't think that's a given if nuclear weapons are involved. Many NATO countries, certainly, but France, Italy, Germany? I doubt it.

Russia will step up this barbaric attack, because that's the only way they "win" their game. No matter what our government is saying now, we won't cross Russia's stated line in the sand because we don't want to find out what we already know about NATO.

[tarcone]

Remember when everyone was afraid that the UN would occupy the USA?

HAHA, good times.