Russia - threadbanned users in OP

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118713992#Comment_118713992

But surely these billionaires could collectively organise that he’s “taken out” and some military head with a grasp on reality installed in his place? I thought the oligarchs had the biggest power in Russia?

Gile_na_gile

Sirens have started already: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_BVCDVN-2Q

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714008#Comment_118714008

Is it though, would you accept that risk? Escalate the conflict beyond Ukraine and potentially into a world war? The "maybes" and "could" are far more unpredictable and dangerous than letting Ukraine unfortunately be slaughtered.

Atlantic Dawn

Have we banned Russian registered ships from docking in Irish ports? There's a Russian ship, Pola Feodosia due to dock in Aughinish tomorrow night.

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/shipid:5681649/zoom:8

Bayonet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714084#Comment_118714084

They HAD political power. Now that power is with Putin because of his popularity. If he was hated, the oligarchs would have more sway. The ones that helped to install Putin were allowed to stay, the ones who were against Putin were either banished or had accidents. Now if he goes completely off the rails and whispering starts in the upper echelons of power, then we're talking. No sign of that though.

Dohnjoe

Slight progress from China

https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1498660238123278340

briany

Where is the Ukrainian airforce at this point?

Where is Zelensky? Still in Kyiv?

Are there militia hiding within the city?

Everything seems so eerily quiet on the Ukrainian side.

Then again, it's possible that all that just isn't being spoken about by the media to prevent giving the Russians an easier time of gathering intelligence.

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118713978#Comment_118713978

The difference here and it's where your logic goes out the window like an enemy of Putin. Hitler could not have caused a mass extinction event on this planet that would wipe out humanity, or reduce our numbers to a few thousand. If only a quarter of the atomic horror stockpile was detonated in war it would be not far off what happened when the dinosaurs(and many many others) went extinct. That's the big fúcking difference.

Ten of Swords

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118713220#Comment_118713220

Mod - Your point has been sufficiently made but now we're getting off topic, stick to the topic of the thread

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118713755#Comment_118713755

That's when force meets an unmovable object and we should all be concerned. Every situation has it's breaking point.

omega man

The west can only keep the supplies of lethal and non lethal aid pumping into the Ukrainians indefinitely.

Anyone outside of the Ukraine calling for direct military intervention are clearly not thinking rationally which is understandable but not helpful.

FintanMcluskey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714127#Comment_118714127

Its Russian registered, doesnt mean its Russian cargo

Likely carrying coal.

The West will have to cut off its arm yet.

We have became as dependent on Russia as they are on us

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714046#Comment_118714046

I agree. Peace in Europe should not be achieved with the blood of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians on European hands, which is what is going to happen if there isn't serious deterrent to the Russians soon.

For pity's sake man, do you not understand that if WW3 kicks off many many millions will die and many many millions more will rue the day they didn't? I really don't think people comprehend the difference between a normal bomb going off and a nuclear detonation. You know those thermobaric bombs we've read about and how awful they are? Yes they're horrendous, but even a small yield atomic bomb makes one of them look like a banger you'd set off on halloween. In Hiroshima and Nagasaki 200,000 people died and many more suffered for years afterward from just two bombs whose yield would be considered 'small' by today's standards.

This is the singular problem with trying to deal with someone with the ability and quite possibly the will to use such devices and it makes lazy comparisons to Hitler pretty much pointless.

Bayonet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714151#Comment_118714151

Ukrainian airforce about to get more planes - although there seems to be dispute over that.

Zelensky is in Kyiv and just gave a speech to the EU

It seems like many towns didn't get weapons so there is no resistance. However the Russians took Kherson and I commented earlier that snipers should be there. It seems like clashes/street battles have broken out now.

Bear in mind Ukrainians are under a larger assault now, so can't have as many successes. They're digging in for street fighting.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714075#Comment_118714075

Sure you couldn't believe anything they spout anymore.

Bayonet

Russians now blowing up malls. Just hit one in Kherson city.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118713773#Comment_118713773

**** me, that was a sickening 19m watch. That was some slick piece of propaganda - I don't even think he'd a gun to his head, it was too polished.

Basically, the Russians only want security and they don't want to kill Ukrainians, but admits millions will die because the dumb Ukrainians just wont lie down for the Russians.

listermint

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714068#Comment_118714068

Theres a vast amount of evidence showing that the troops on the ground and indeed their immediate command were lied to on where they were going or why they were going there. There seems to be a revisionist narrative going around that they were specifically told to lay off civilians and target very specific things. When in fact they were told that zelenski had laid down his tools and they were to drive to the nearest cities where they would be greeted with arms open. Perhaps the military leadership knew it would be a hard sell to get them to go in the first place.

I'm regards leaving the comms and power. It's been shown from all of the captured equipment that the Russians are using off the shelf retail radios and phone GPS maps to find their way around and navigate and communicate. For this reason theyve had to leave infrastructure in place otherwise they'd be even more shagged. They Dont have even basic military comms and guidance.

Theres a rewriting of reality going on and people seem to be willing or happy to swallow the decent guys lie....

growleaves

I read a military analysis saying the Russian Army are very shy about advancing into a city after the Battle of Grozny in the First Chechen War in the '90s.

Basically the Russian military lost a big part of an entire brigade which had quickly entered Grozny, moved into the city centre only to be surrounded and cut off, with terrible communications, no reconnaissance capabilities and then were massacred by Chechen missiles fired from strategic high locations. Morale collapsed and they were lots of desertions and Russian commanders were disciplined afterwards.

That left a very painful memory in the Russian collective memory and there's a sort of understanding not to make the mistakes made by the generals during that first Chechen war.

So that might have something to do with the Russian forces sitting outside of Kiev and Kharkiv and not charging right in, shelling these cities from the outside and waiting for huge reinforcements. Its possible they're hoping to somehow take these cities without entering them first.

VinLieger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714247#Comment_118714247

No unbias links to any evidence to support those claims im guessing?

Kermit.de.frog

Some of the images coming out of Kharkiv of buildings completely destroyed are really bad. Up there with the worst of Russia war adventures of the last 20 years.

Same might happen Kiev tonight.

john123470

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714253#Comment_118714253

A brave man to speak his mind then from the centre of soon to be obliterated Kyiv, no ?

Bayonet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714247#Comment_118714247

This idea, spread by the Kremlin, that there was some sort of 'genocide' going on in Donbass is absolute horseshit. And you calling it 'discrimination' like discrimination is an excuse to invade a country, seems utterly ridiculous. Yes, in war time (especially a war to capture your country) governments do force people to sign up to defend the country. Zelensky has done nothing wrong in requiring men of fighting age to fight for their country.

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714247#Comment_118714247

"I'm not fan of Putin but"

And the mask slips.

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714261#Comment_118714261

There seems to be a revisionist narrative going around that they were specifically told to lay off civilians and target very specific things. When in fact they were told that zelenski had laid down his tools and they were to drive to the nearest cities where they would be greeted with arms open.

True, though both could have been in play without any revisionism. Lay off civillians because you won't have to engage them as they want to see you and it'll be all over bar the shouting by the time you roll into Kyiv with your tanks and men after special forces have taken the airports and marched on Kyiv and removed the leadership.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714247#Comment_118714247

I don't know what ****** of the internet you're getting your information from but this is conspiracy theory nonsense.

Ukraine is fulfilling the Minsk agreement, unless you also accept entirely Russia's interpretation of it.

There's no US bioweapons labs in the Ukraine.

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/feb/25/tweets/there-are-no-us-run-biolabs-ukraine-contrary-socia/

greenpilot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118713521#Comment_118713521

And this is what he tweeted last year, the idiot..

https://twitter.com/MedvedevRussiaE/status/1386230942096887809?s=20&t=e7cjHdL65oN2qpGdt5JHRA

marieholmfan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714211#Comment_118714211

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714239#Comment_118714239

I hope the shopping centre is closed.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714253#Comment_118714253

He seems like a real as*hole but he makes a reasonable point about how the Americans would have destroyed all infrastructure and killed hundreds of thousands of people.

All that proves is that Russians are better than Americans which is a very very low bar.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714295#Comment_118714295

Not if he believes the BS he's spouting. Did you not watch it yourself? Russia, when it meets resistance pulls back and wont attack Kyiv. He's safe out from his Russian buddies. They got his back! *deploy sarcasm detector*

firemansam4

There is an awful whiff of reregs coming into this forum all of a sudden.