Russia - threadbanned users in OP

sjb25

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666713#Comment_118666713

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Raoul Duke III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666813#Comment_118666813

It's like they're not even trying with the false flag stuff - it's real B Movie level.

You would actually have to accept as a starting premise that Ukraine has suddenly, at the exact time that it has been surrounded by vastly superior armed forces, decided to attack and provoke its own destruction. And then you further would have to suspend your disbelief even further and swallow all of the various 'terrorist' incidents inside the occupied portion of Eastern Ukraine are true. Not to mention the crap being spouted by all the Kremlin mouthpieces.

This does seem to be consistent with all the other stuff Putin has pulled down the years. Consider the very dubious staged pretext for invading Chechnya. Also consider they didn't even bother to hide stuff like the various poisonings at home and abroad. They actually want people to know.

vimalandrew

No war, no violence. nothing is going to happen. Russia wants the same propsperity, rich and lucuary enjoyed by Western Europe. Thats all.

Fiery mutant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666813#Comment_118666813

I'm thinking the same. Also, not very Russian is it. Ramshackle wooden Border post in some field, surrounded by some twigs in the middle of nowhere.

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666613#Comment_118666613

Putin is very shrewd and Russia is already a pariah, just to get a summit is already a win. That's on top of whatever domestic reasons (appeasing hardliners, etc) that were behind this. I would be very surprised if they didn't factor this current response from US/NATO/Europe into their decision to go ahead with this.

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666670#Comment_118666670

Domestically Putin is probably coming out of this stronger than before, I suspect there has to be complex internal reasons behind this.

seamus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666738#Comment_118666738

Well if I'm a dictator, I care less about demographics and more about power. Putin to a certain extent is now in a prison of his own making. It no longer really matters that he is the wealthiest man in the world, he got there by brutalising and murdering those who would stand against him.

So he doesn't get to walk away into the sunset and hand the power to someone else. Once his time is over, he's a goner. Which means that he needs to continue to solidify his power through whatever means necessary. Pivoting to a socialist/good samaritan theme and trying to rebuild Russia won't fly with the oligarchs around him. There's no money in it. Any sense that Putin is becoming weak, and he will be dispatched.

So he has to keep moving forward with this "strong Russia" bullsh1t. To keep distracting from the absolute sh1thole of a country that he has created. War is about the only thing that can keep him ratcheting up the brutality. Invoke nationalism, invoke the existential threat, use patriotism and treason as a pretext for assassinating everyone around you who poses a threat to you.

There are many, many things that can be done to make a Russia a better place. None of them very good for profiteering though, so they won't be done.

The best outcome we can hope for here is some diplomatic outcome that Putin can claim as a "victory" for Russia that allows him to stand down. I don't see any scenario here where Russia backs down, because that's the beginning of the end for Vlad.

Putin would sacrifice every last man, woman and child in Russia to hold onto power.

zv2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666760#Comment_118666760

I don't think it is as simple as that. There are often people in this world who want war. Most likely this situation is being orchestrated by people whose names you don't even know (as WW2 was engineered by American banks). A temporary buffer state would stop them until the geopolitical situation is resolved. Forget about 'Russia' and 'America'. Nobody knows who is really calling the shots here.

Sierra Oscar

Separatists are now destroying OSCE cameras along the line of separation that are used to monitor ceasefire violations, on the claimed basis that they are being used to direct Ukrainian artillery.

These cameras would monitor and flag the early moments of an invasion.

Unfortunately, we are beyond the point of no return I suspect.

Dohnjoe

Ah I take it back, looks like summit is off the table again. Perhaps they are stalling. On a side note, I reckon those Russian troops in Belarus will be permanent, as well as a big chunk of those surrounding Ukraine.

In 2014 they used media and manipulation to validate their position, now it's like the mask is fully off and they just don't care about the optics anymore. "We are the bad guys".

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666832#Comment_118666832

Well they’ve a funny way of conveying it

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666426#Comment_118666426

I know a few Russians living here and to a man and woman they like Putin. At worst they seem to view him as a necessary evil that stopped Russian oligarchs carving up the place(an image he promotes). Now these would be aged between mid 30's and late 40's, the older ones say the postive difference on the ground in Russia between him coming to power and now is enough for them to support him.

As for the WW2 Hitler/Stalin stuff, rather The Great Patriotic War from their perspective; many are still living in the Stalinist propaganda of that era. Quite convinced that Stalin was a tactical genius who didn't massively screw up. The stuff about Poland at the start and indeed at the end of the war they know nothing or deny all as western propaganda. Then again World War Two is a conflict where the propaganda never really stopped at its end and on all sides.

Fiery mutant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666858#Comment_118666858

WW2 engineered by American banks??? FFS 🤦‍♂️

Agree with a lot of that except for this bit:

Pivoting to a socialist/good samaritan theme and trying to rebuild Russia won't fly with the oligarchs around him. There's no money in it.

There's massive money in opening up. Look at China. If greed is his sole motive, he's not very good at it.

I just did a quick google on FDI into Russia. It's fallen off a cliff due to Covid and other factors, but was surprised to see Ireland listed as one of the main buyers of Russian FDI stocks in the world or am I misreading the charts/misunderstabnding what 'FDI Stocks' are? Didn't expect that:

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666843#Comment_118666843

There was NO impediment to a summit at any time

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666867#Comment_118666867

They can destroy the osce cameras but there is still multiple surveillance aircraft flying overhead , an American Global hawk has been flying over ukraine for the past week ,they can see and hear over large areas in the hundreds of kilometers.

TheTruth89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666637#Comment_118666637

If you don't understand what the word means I guess it could fit anywhere.

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666898#Comment_118666898

This is using the threat of an invasion as a pretext to "talk" - it doesn't really go down well

Raoul Duke III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666858#Comment_118666858

OK.....😀

I think I'll put you on ignore now. Goodbye!

Dohnjoe

More shelling from the separatists to provoke Ukraine. Russia will have to send in "peacekeepers" soon to protect the people who doing the shelling, to stop the "genocide" that isn't happening. But the Russia audience don't know any better, and if they do, there's little they can do.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666894#Comment_118666894

If you look at the other countries on the list it's fairly obvious the money is mostly passing through those countries.

MFPM

Another week begins and still no invasion.

Macron while reflecting his own interests has at least pushed the diplomatic route over the war agitation of Biden and Blinken.

yes, Cyprus jumped out at me as a well known conduit for Russian money. What's Ireland's role then? How does this money pass through Ireland? Is that one of the thigns they do be up to in the IFSC?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666969#Comment_118666969

Notice Luxembourg and Holland also being on the list, they're a couple of the other European countries used for tax scams. So it's likely mostly tech companies passing money through one of them to get it into Russia, probably advantages to getting the money out that way too.

greenpilot

Huge buildup of military air assets, including Royal Airforce Air-refueling over Romania, C-130's RAF over Romania and also Black Hawks over Romania. Over Poland, KC-135, C-130's and Black Hawks and over Ukraine E-8 Sentry and Global Hawk UAV. All in last 2 minutes.

jmreire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666599#Comment_118666599

Such a change of course would automatically mean that Putin and his band of merry oligarchs' would have to go. Either ride off into the sunset with their collective billions, or a full criminal trial either in Moscow, or the Hague, and a life behind bars ( the Hague) or execution ( Moscow ) The ride off into the sunset might work though. We will see.

nigeldaniel

I am unfortunately in agreement with some posters, the Russian people seem to care not an iota for what their country is doing and the road they are going down. I don't know if they lack information or are just heartless or something. Could be 20 years of living under a tyrant that has done it. Like it or not Putin will be face down or China will follow suit with its own ambitions. A grim year ahead I think. There is hope that some sane minded individual exists in Russia that can keep a lid on things. Putin without a doubt is going down the road of madness like tyrants before him. Just look at the interviews he did on TV with Belarus a few days ago. Putin came across as child like and petulant and just mumble into his sleeve 'can I go now' That is a bad sign indeed.

victor8600

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118665755#Comment_118665755

Economics. Stalin's purges adversely affected the morale and the officer's initiative, but the reason Germany was able to advance almost to Moscow was that the USSR was rather a poor country. The civil war and communist experiments destroyed Russian economy. The USSR could not afford to train and equip its army in 1920s or 1930s to an appropriate standard, and had to play catch up in the latter half of 1930s.

jmreire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666605#Comment_118666605

Yes, If you really want to know me, come live with me......🤨

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666954#Comment_118666954

And I'm the fairy Godmother