Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Wes M.

If nothing else, the special military miscalculation is a powerful rebuttal to President Xi's assertion that authoritarianism would win out over democracy, because authoritarianism was the only thing that could solve the complexities of 21st century problems...

pummice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686222#Comment_119686222

Ukraine should immediatly launch a massive guerilla operation in the 4 occupied regions, make them ungovernable. You cant nuke an invisible army....

rogber

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686183#Comment_119686183

I understand this sentiment. It's a really grim and disgusting juxtaposition of images

xxxxxxl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119685279#Comment_119685279

nah they looked scared out of their heads. Do not touch the president. Then he grabs you 🤪

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686255#Comment_119686255

But you can nuke a Ukrainan city

Strazdas

This sounds like it is straight from Orwell's 1984 : '“The truth is behind us. Truth is power. Victory is ours!” Putin said. After his performance, the invited artists began to sing the Russian anthem.' (from the Moscow rally this evening).

rogber

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686255#Comment_119686255

That stuff will undoubtedly happen. But we can be pretty sure that unless Putin is killed or goes nuclear - both very unlikely - this is settling into a long, drawn out conflict, which - probably the best phrase I've heard about this whole war - "neither side can afford to lose, and neither side has the means to win". As in definitively win, beyond the inevitable seesawing that we've seen over the months

TheValeyard

Russian army is severely weakened and shook. Ukrainians are getting weapons, supplies and have the backing of most of the free world.

Russia will either withdraw or collapse first.

Time favours the Ukrainians.

Polar101

The right honourable member from Zaporizhzhia is embarassing his entire puppet republic.

Gatling

Meanwhile in Moscow...

The following tweet contains images some snowflakes will be offended by currently thousands of Russian orc's are dancing and partying,for those who are offended Vladimir thanks you for the support on this thread.....

https://twitter.com/Archer83Able/status/1575870853845176320?s=20&t=YbdFWHqsUQmcWOo9mlYkdg

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686222#Comment_119686222

It does look like he has burned all his bridges with the West and has accepted Russia's pariah state status.

Detonating a tactical nuclear weapon would be a serious and dangerous escalation but I wouldn't see it as the thing that precipitates WW3 or Armageddon. Even if Putin has gone insane, the rest of the world are still in possession of their marbles and are not going to allow the planet to be wiped out just to feed the ego of a crank dictator presiding over a third world and failed state.

billyhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686313#Comment_119686313

Agree. It's not if Ukraine wins this war but when.

briany

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686222#Comment_119686222

Why would Russia need a referendum to feel correct about using nukes in order to prevent Ukrainian forces retaking the lands which Putin has now declared to be part of Russia? Putin wrote in his own words that modern Ukraine was a parcel of land created by the Bolsheviks and parts of Russia were unjustly cleaved off to form it.

The Bolsheviks treated the Russian people as inexhaustible material for their social experiments. They dreamt of a world revolution that would wipe out national states. That is why they were so generous in drawing borders and bestowing territorial gifts. It is no longer important what exactly the idea of the Bolshevik leaders who were chopping the country into pieces was. We can disagree about minor details, background and logics behind certain decisions. One fact is crystal clear: Russia was robbed, indeed.

So he regards the modern state of Ukraine as an artificial state whose existence could be supported by Russia so long as it remained within Russia's sphere of influence, but then blames the West for encouraging a thread of Russophobia and anti-Russian Ukrainian nationalism as a pretext to pull Ukraine away from Russia.

If he regards Ukraine, or parts thereof, as belonging to Russia in spirit, if not by legal right, then I don't really see the point of needing a referendum to make that official when it isn't even going to be recognised by the international community and any escalation in defence of these lands will be treated with the same seriousness. Even within Russia, I have to think that those prepared to believe Putin were going to believe him anyway and those who were doubtful were still going to have doubts. He got to have a nice fancy ceremony, though, so there is that.

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686318#Comment_119686318

He's threatening nukes and he's pulled up all the draw bridges , meanwhile Nato and the US are saying if he uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine,he faces a possible retaliation but it won't involve nuclear weapons...

I'm sure he's really scared .

xxxxxxl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119685641#Comment_119685641

A coke can on the seafloor ?

Working class heroes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686317#Comment_119686317

You seem upset honey.

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686222#Comment_119686222

I don't think Putin is highly likely at all to use a tactical nuclear weapon. The threat is not zero, but it's not highly likely or even likely. But even if he did as I understand these things are not just lying on a shelf, it would require some reassembly which would take time and one would Imagine or hope be flagged by intelligence before it became operational.

But even if he did manage to there would be several scenarios of how one would be deployed. Ranging from a show of force with high altitude detonation, to nuking some remote outpost, to launching one at a highly densely populated area.

Obviously the response would depend on what he did, but it certainly wouldn't be inevitable that nukes start criss crossing the planet.

The reality is all the fringe players who stayed out of it more or less, big and small would see it as catastrophic escalation, South America, Africa, Asia, China would all be forced to pick a side. NATO could go down the political option, or actually strike back, as in implement a no fly zone, or sink the Black Sea fleet. Or if they deem it was a direct attack on NATO because of radiation drift or whatever, they could launch a tactical nuke themselves, probably not at the Russian mainland, but an ally like Belarus.

I mean we are talking about the worlds economy collapsing pretty much immediately and every country going to war footing, probably even the States activating DEFCON 1.

Unless the botox and isolation of the pandemic has completely melted Puttins brain, he knows this too. It would be the absolute end of him.

He would also be wise to learn from something he said in his "speech" today, The yanks were the last ones to do it, they will only bend so far before they bite back.

DrumSteve

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686325#Comment_119686325

The point is two fold.

1) our non nuclear weapons are good enough to **** you up, we don't actually need to use them.

2) to calm down the nuclear talk. Talking like a complete nut job is par for the course over there, but it won't fly in Europe or the US to threaten nukes.

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686348#Comment_119686348

Nahh someone missed the heads on sticks, castrations and dead children....

Hobgoblin11

looks like a pocket of Russians are cut off by the below Ukrainian military in Drobysheve, interesting times

https://twitter.com/sternenko/status/1575897121051463683

odyssey06

Thread is moving too fast. Please restrict yourself to 1 post every 15 minutes in this time of crisis.

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686354#Comment_119686354

They don't have a lot of realistic options on the table to counter Putin, when you think about it ,

They publicly stated no to every suggestion put forward from weapons to no fly zones , let's sanction a few individuals seems to be the only play they are willing to make

Hobgoblin11

looking at that victory parade in Moscow I cant help but hark back to the Hilter's parades in Munich "The Night of the Amazons" 

Gatling

At this point I wonder if he will go all out hitting Odessa now,

josip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119685155#Comment_119685155

Only 68 more of those proverbs left to use :)

Manic Moran

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686104#Comment_119686104

It says it's a "factor" in the overall decision, not a disqualifying condition.

greenpilot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686325#Comment_119686325

I'm not so sure. The 20 to 30 ships and subs in the Black Sea would immediately be wiped out within an hour or so. Given the amount of intelligence gathering in the area, and the constant readiness of strike groups, I'd confidently say that NATO'S conventional reaction would be mind-bendingly swift and devastating.

Of course, Putin and certainly his Generals know this. Would he be prepared to send thousands of sailors to the seabed?

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686461#Comment_119686461

I get the feeling putin losing 100,000 wouldn't bother him,

He believes he's on a rightous crusade,he will keep sending orcs until he has no more to send or someone removes him ,he still has cards to play in this game ,say nato hits his black sea fleet,he can then go after another say under sea Cables in poorly defended international waters,

Who suffers more he loses his ships and we and tens of millions lose access to internet, power, banking, medical facilities, communications .

He's happy to take Russia back to the dark ages and be isolated from the world

cnocbui

Canada supports Ukraine's statement on NATO membership - Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly 🇨🇦❤️🇺🇦

And Canada's 12 points go to ....... Ukraine

That puts Ukraine in the lead ...... the Belorussian contestant doesn't look happy at all...

Slava_Ukraine

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686461#Comment_119686461

I was looking at him (closely) singing the anthem at the celebration in red square alongside the 4 stooges that have just signed their death warrant. The facial expressions on him were at times grim.

Do I believe he wants to use nukes to win this war - No, I think he has been well warned.

Will he use them, when he faces the inevitable defeat that's coming - I'd like to think no.