I doubt the sanctions in place now will move the Russian people. They’re being told the economic hardships they’re facing are the fault of “the West” and unjustified. The Russian people are not stupid. They’re just willing to believe Kremlin BS. It’s all they’ve ever known.
Ukraine will fall unless there is military intervention by outside forces. That sets up a game of chicken.
He has soaring approval. As did Bush when he did the same thing to Iraq. That’s how this works. That’s why they do it.
OT:
OK, folks - more cuteness overload:
Please meet Prada (her first-time momma is Chanel). Born Tuesday afternoon.
There are people around him who are worried about yachts and things.
Best “OT” of the day - congratulations!
I totally hope you’re right, but I’m curious what signs you’re referring to. I find it remarkable that the Russians could invade from their own border and still face supply issues, but may it be so, and quickly.
Been thinking the same, sadly. I think this hits a nerve with Americans though because of Trump and the GOP going from staunch anti~ Russia stance for 70+ years to fucking getting paid by those monsters.
I often wonder about my uncle who is ex-US Intelligence (wont say where) veteran for 25 years and lifelong Republican would think of all of this
That’s just the ingrained underlying basic religion part. Christians and Muslims have been happily killing each other for well over a thousand years on a base-level conflict about the fundamental right of the other side to exist. So it does just feel different when the killing is not someone who would, if they ran into you, likely kill you because you’re the wrong religion, but a group of people who really are fundamentally just like us, with common grounding in the basics of morality.
I’d wonder but it seems a common thing that they were lied to about where they were going and what they were doing. You wonder about the discipline of an army that has to do that. What would have happened if they’d known?
BRUSSELS — The Dutch are sending rocket launchers for air defense. The Estonians are sending Javelin antitank missiles. The Poles and the Latvians are sending Stinger surface-to-air missiles. The Czechs are sending machine guns, sniper rifles, pistols and ammunition.
Even formerly neutral countries like Sweden and Finland are sending weapons. And Germany, long allergic to sending weapons into conflict zones, is sending Stingers as well as other shoulder-launched rockets.
In all, about 20 countries — most members of NATO and the European Union, but not all — are funneling arms into Ukraine to fight off Russian invaders and arm an insurgency, if the war comes to that.
At the same time, NATO is moving military equipment and as many as 22,000 more troops into member states bordering Russia and Belarus, to reassure them and enhance deterrence.
I think there’s definitely something to this, and I’ve been mulling over the same kinds of questions. But then I think back to the most similar conflict in terms of relating to victims – Kosovo. And this feels far more present and awful even than that conflict. I think there’s also something to the interconnected nature of the world now – we just have more routes to witnessing the reality of conflict, to go with the cultural resonance. And some of that is because of the similarity in access to/use of the same technologies and platforms. Put it all together, and no wonder.
Don’t be too hard on yourself! I mean, yes, there clearly is something to the cultural piece of it. But at the same time, this can only increase empathy to other conflicts, just because more of us are gaining an understanding of the awful reality of war. And in the end, that’s a major good.
Hard to say how much of that is actual confusion vice a blanket order that went out on what to say.
You literally get a text message when you enter Ukraine (or any other country) from the carrier telling you you’re on this new cell network, relevant charges for your plan, etc.
Many of them are being captured with cell phones, so it’s not like they didn’t have the info in their pocket if they happened to not look out the window when they crossed the fucking border with a big “Welcome to Ukraine” sign.
But not just any ol’ Russians–it was Russian intelligence officers opposed to the invasion who warned the Ukrainians.
::scratches chin:: Hmm.
Yeah. You don’t want to tell your captors you came there excited about fucking their shit all up because it all seemed like a big game to you. But it’s hard to say. I don’t see a lot of hardened killer attitude there, like you did with those bastard Chechens. These guys looked like scared, sad kids to me.
Oh, no disagreement that it’s a bunch of kids and they’re not hardened killers. Just not buying that the “I didn’t know I was going to invade Ukraine”, especially as we’re seeing it pop up time and time again. Like did nobody in the whole military know that they were going into Ukraine?
Indeed. (And the ghost of Admiral Canaris waves ‘hello’.)
It’d be the first army in history that was scuttlebutt-free on where they were going. Had to be pretty obvious.
Well from my experience in the USMC it would not make a difference, you went were you were told to go, for or against it.
“This is the weirdest training exercise I’ve ever seen.”
