Ukraine (Mod Note & Threadbanned Users in OP)

I sort of read that as Putin sees or thinks he sees this as a soft underbelly.....in that its another factor that emboldens him to attack.....potential resistance isn't unified and will be hamstrung....

The fact Ukraine isn't in Nato is another etc

Maybe in his head he thinks he's playing chess and people getting worked up about preferred pronouns is another sign his adversaries dont have their eye on the ball and can be exploited .....you know he's definitely afraid his country starts to go that way as that would spell the end for him.

I watched that parliamentary meeting and thought it was chilling the way he dealt with the guy who wasn't 100% in favour of his move on Ukraine "you think we should negotiate" "speak plainly sergey" "say what you mean".....while the other guy bumbled and stumbled

I'd be as worried as a Ukrainian in Russia if I was in his shoes ....unless it was a set up and he was taking one for the team.......it didn't look like that though, it looked like a fly had just stumbled into a web and spotted a giant spider sitting behind a flag adorned desk looking sideways at him from under his eyebrows deciding when to have him for dinner.

I wonder if Putin is thinking fully rationally after seeing that though or how long this has been planned...

Gatling made the very valid point that each and every member of the Duma was held at gunpoint, in one form or another, either himself, or family members. That was no freedom of choice session.

Oh god not this again - only the most uninformed would even suggest some kind of invasion from the East. From the tip of Alaska to Moscow is ~6000km, through some of the most inhospitable terrain. Nearly all Russias population is concentrated on the western side of the country toward Europe. Not to mention the logistics of getting US mlitary to Alaska in the first place.

Apologies, it isnt the first time that people have mentioned the eastern border - previously its been mentioned naively as some kind of gotcha as if the US could easily sneak up on them that way.

Do the Russians have any missile capability that far east? I presume if so the US would be prepared for it.

US nuclear subs can carry tens of nuclear capable missiles and can likely get much closer to Russian territory than a 30min flight time..

Yeah I'm not sure why you'd leap straight from where we are to Armageddon.

I'm not so sure about that. Young people are generally more progressive, it's older people who seem to have fallen into believing there is some sort of woke culture war threatening the fabric of reality. I'm not saying there aren't bitter young people, but there does seem to be an age divide. You see the same divide in the Brexit vote.

Stalin was hoodwinked by Hitler and Ribbentropp into the non aggression pact with Germany. When his intelligence agents reported back to to him that the Germans were preparing to attack Russia he refused to believe them, in fact he refused to believe it was happening even as the attack was beginning. Those intelligence agents and generals that tried to warn him were sent to Siberia or killed. He only started to listen to reason and follow military advice when the Germans were outside Moscow.

That charade on Monday with Putin bullying members of the security council into agreeing to his opinion was classic Stalin, he seems to have become consumed with megalomania , getting fatter and out of touch with that ludicrous long table schtick

Tbh the sanctions levied against Russia will not stop them.

If they continue and escalate this invasion then they will confirm their position as a pariah state and the biggest threat to peace in Europe since Nazi Germany.

If this continues then I'd suggest that the EU cease all business with Russia. No more oil, no more gas. Freeze Russian and Oligarchs funds held in European banks. Cancel all work visas for Russians in the EU and deport them. Remove Russia's access to the Swift banking system. Ban Russian Airlines from EU airspace.

There is no point wagging the finger at them, it has to be a gut punch.

I'd add to this that the West should send peace Keepers to Ukraine, Ukraine have long been requesting this

The West should have done this in 2014 along with proper sanctions. It fudged the response back then and now we are reaping the product of that weak reaction.

I think Russia supplies too much oil and gas to the west for it to kick up too much fuss.

From my v Ltd knowledge of the US army, I understand that their troops and equipment are more suited to the type of maneuvers in middle east conflicts than possible peer to peer ground combat, which the Russians have trained for. I can't see the us or Nato entering a military conflict, but will instead impose light enough sanctions.

I read a very interesting book, Prisoner's of Geography by Tim Marshall, which details the geography of 10 of the biggest countries and explains the huge influence geography plays in a country's foreign policy decisions. The book had emphasised the strategic importance of the crimean peninsula to Russia, so it wasn't surprising when it was annexed by Russia. Its well worth a read as it also deals with China, the US and others.

It's already beyond that,

He did that 8 years ago