Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Well I suspect medical equipment, ambulances, helmets and body armour might prevent deaths and casualties to some extent.

And in case you hadn't noticed the EU has been supplying weapons; Ireland just chose to make its portion of that donation to not include weapons. If you're arguing for the EU to dive into Ukraine and fight the Russians well that's a slightly different thing.

I mean I'm not opposed to Ireland doing more to help Ukraine but I don't think sending offensive weapons is going to be of much material help to Ukraine in the grand scheme of tings; and is also at odds with our long-held military neutrality. If we had a few medium to long-range Soviet SAM systems which Ukraine badly needed I might have a different view.

EDIT:

I mean they're even asking explicitly in their message for anti-air capabilities and cruise missiles; none of which we have.

Sergei Lavrov speaking a short while ago at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations has said even a peace keeping mission will risk war with NATO!

At least he's being consistent with his veiled threats. On present evidence that imaginary war would be extremely brief.

Worrying signs that Russia might have badly compromised Kyiv's air defences; at least one S-300 launcher and possibly more claimed to have been destroyed yesterday in Northern Kyiv:

And then today what might be Russian SU-25s spotted attacking targets in Northern Kyiv uncontested which they haven't been able to do since the start of the war:

It's also possible they're Ukrainian SU-25s I suppose; it's impossible to tell from the video.

This is my main concern about Ukraine's ability to keep Russia at bay; that their air defences just will be whittled away and Russia will be able to use their air superiority much more effectively all throughout Ukraine. All while the West takes its sweet time getting them the anti-air capability they've been constantly asking for.

Well I suppose to be fair to them, if they are located in Ballymun, the pictures of the terrible destruction coming from Ukraine might just remind the workers of their drive home out of Ballymun.

That said, I suspect that they don't have strong links to their location. If they did, they'd be more likely have been called Decoathlon

I think the issue of 'how right wing is the Ukraine', is a game that Russia would love us all to start playing. Here, and on the other thread lots of people have questioned the nature of the ASOV brigade. While also glossing over the fact that there are NAZIs fighting with the Russians too. One was decorated 'Hero of the Russian Federation'.

The fact is repeated conflicts with Russia, which were all instigated BY RUSSIA - will have a negative effect by promoting extremist anti-Russian parties, and groups. We have seen this action/reaction politics in many conflicts throughout history (including Ireland, British actions in the North in the 60s/70s were rallying cry's for the IRA)

• Interference in Ukrainian Political affairs internally
• Annexing Crimea
• Arming Separatists in the Donbas
• Blatantly attempting to Bully the Ukraine, and treat it as though it was a mere province of Russia

IMHO if Ukraine has serious Right wing extremist problems - Russia created said problems. In order to use as an excuse for this invasion. We can hope that when this conflict ends, Ukraine will begin to calm down. Politically i mean. But Anti Russian sentiment could last decades or longer.. Especially if Putin continues to stoke the flames perpetuating it. Which he will. The man is an abhorrent war criminal. And just as a generation of Ukrainians will be baptized in the fire of Hatred for Russia - so too will Russians; They will despise the 'Neo Nazi Ukraine, and their Jewish president' - The difference is that i can sympathize with Ukrainian loathing of Russia. The Russian animosity toward Ukraine is 'artificially grown', based on lies, and serves only to help Putin remain in control ..

Its horrifying, I dont know what else to say.

I wouldn't be overly shocked if Ukrainian ultra-nationalists become incredibly popular after the conclusion of the war; especially if the war ends with Ukrainian soil handed over to Russia coupled with Ukraine being excluded from NATO and the EU. Kinda hard to blame a country from turning inwards in their droves after they're invaded by one neighbour and then not helped to a significant enough extent by their other neighbours.

If we go back to the Ukrainian election in 2004, we have the main opposition candidate Yuschenko running against the Russian stooge Yanukovych (the one who was ousted in 2014). Yuschenko was being smeared as a Nazi in the media and was poisoned, nearly killing him. If Ukraine gets a chance to develop in a normal way, without their malignant neighbour poisoning politicians, they will eventually root out the corruption and nationalist elements.

A former friend and colleague of his who knew him for many years was interviewed on CNN a few nights back. Said he is stunned at the absolute nonsense Lavrov is coming out with - he is an intelligent man and probably doesn't even believe most of the Kremlin codology he is emitting. He's effectively just a Putin mouthpiece now and saying whatever his boss wants him to say.

The funny thing is that I reckon if it was going well for them they wouldn't be threatening everyone with every weapon they have.

As I said before, once they fire one of them they lose control of the situation. I think that's the reason they won't. They can get most of what they want with just the threat as horrible as that is.

Allegedly Ukraine stocks running low now, as others have reported the Russians may be running low too. My feeling is, that once Mariupol is "cleansed" of "Nazi's" (with no doubt many captured and forced on camera to play to the Russian media back home how thankful they are to be saved before they are too dissapeared) , then the Russians may try a final push on Odessa or call it victory at Mariupol and Ukraine will have no choice to accept terms as they too are unable to make grounds either. I think we are one or two weeks now before the conclusion of this.

For those who were claiming that the "Kremlin predicted all of this"