President Biden will speak on the situation in Ukraine at 2:00PM ET.
8 Likes
I found it interesting. Since Kyiv really is at the heart of russkie identity as a culture, shouldn’t Kyiv be annexing moscow?
11 Likes
Well, at least they are transparent.
22 Likes
A very interesting map that explains a lot of Putin’s problems with invading Ukraine. I don’t think people should assume the Ukrainians are so helpless here. Yes, the Russian military can defeat them in a conventional battle, but this will not be that way.
If they do a full invasion, then Putin will get his mission accomplished moment and tries to install a new pro-Russian government in Kyiv. Then what happens? Lots of bad stuff for the Russian troops. 40+ million armed Ukrainians that hate them being there. If only 15% fight, they outnumber them 6M to their 30,000 combat troops. Western intelligence and arms arriving. Yes, they will take a terrible toll on the Ukrainians, but the Russian army will leave at some point, after heavy losses. Will they aim their anger at the boss in the Kremlin?
We’ve seen fights like this before. This will be televised for all to see and SM will carry it live, even into Russia. Ukraine will be an independent country, although they may need to give up some territory to stay that way. We’ll see and hope for a peaceful outcome.
9 Likes
We didn’t need to invade it. All we needed to do was set up a “free market,” and everything else would take care of itself.
With slight exaggeration for emphasis, that was the policy of the world’s only superpower in regard to Russia. Yeltsin was our guy. We approved or didn’t move to stop the plunder of the ex-Soviet economy by oligarchs, and that was because we called them “capitalists.” If we collectively disavow any responsibility whatsoever for the consequences, then we’re still clinging to that policy and that ideology. Not our fault! A bad guy came in! An ex-commie, and you know them!
3 Likes
Putin might be right after all. Look at what they’re doing to those poor ethnic Russian maidens!
1 Like
If the CSA had been formed by local slaveowners working with British “irregulars,” backed by actual British troops, yes.
2 Likes
And what, exactly, was our responsibility to interfere with internal russian corruption?
Maybe I’m not tracking your point, but I’m not seeing how we bear any damned responsibility for russia. Pottery Barn Rules, we had stakes in places like Iraq and Afghanistan because we took the place over. Last I checked, we did not march on Moscow (more’s the pity).
7 Likes
Classic psy-ops, in which he’s an expert, among other forms of asymmetric warfare. He’s trying to use psychological terror to instill the view that it’s inevitable that he will invade and retake all the former Soviet republics and there’s nothing that anyone can or will do about it, leading to resignation and fatalism, which in turn leads to inaction out of a sense of futility.
This is how weak people convince their enemies that they’re stronger and more dangerous than they really are, like a bear charge, except this Russian bear is weaker than it seems and the west isn’t some random hiker with bells and bear spray.
Let’s not fall for it and either over or under react.
13 Likes
What about money?
1 Like
If Mexico informed us Texas was being made an independent nation, and they were sending in troops as peacekeepers, I guarantee we’d view the matter as an invasion. Why the hell this is different I don’t know.
6 Likes
It’s not an especially sudden development. Trump was groomed by Russia ever since the mid-80s to spew divisive America-First propaganda to separate us from our allies. His zero-sum worldview made that pretty easy.
17 Likes
Well the Brits did briefly consider recognizing and aiding the CSA, and unofficially British privateers did run Union blockades to aid the south, for money of course. And obviously there was broad grass roots support for the “cause” among southerners. So it’s not just easy snark. Of course Britain was never looking to retake any of its former colonies, so the analogy dies there.
4 Likes
Lesson learned: Never interfere with a U.S. election to install an incompetent corrupt idiot to do what you should just do on your own.
Although, contributing to the chaos, distrust of government, democracy, and elections, and civil conflict within the U.S. was and continues to be a big plus for Putin’s efforts.
4 Likes
Biden to deliver remarks on Ukraine this afternoon
Joe Biden will deliver a speech this afternoon on Russia’s latest maneuvers in eastern Ukraine and America’s potential responses to Vladimir Putin ’s actions.
The White House has just announced that Biden will provide an update on Russia and Ukraine at 2pm ET in the East Room.
The speech comes as members of both parties are urging Biden to follow through on his repeated threats to enact severe sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine.
Senior administration officials seemed hesitant yesterday to describe Russia’s planned troop movement into eastern Ukraine as an “invasion,” but that stance appears to have shifted today.
The principal deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer, told CNN this morning, “We think this is, yes, the beginning of an invasion, Russia’s latest invasion into Ukraine.”
5 Likes
Trump was always a clueless talk tough but let others do the dirty work thug, as we all know. When he put out a full-page ad calling for the death penalty for the Central Park Five, who were later exonerated, I instead donated blood to the victim, having recently started working for the company she worked for. Same here, calling for others to do our heavy lifting without understanding a damn thing about what he was talking about, and just making shit up.
9 Likes
Including Trumpers?
2 Likes
Almost like it was all planned beforehand.
18 Likes
But I thought Ukraine belonged to Russia already? Why would he need permission to use force outside?
8 Likes