Russia - threadbanned users in OP

So to be clear: you're in favour of allowing enemies to surrender, binding them, and then executing them summarily on the roadside? So every single Russian soldier taken prisoner should be summarily executed? 18 year old conscripts forced into mandatory service and shipped to Ukraine without even knowing where they were going? DPR/LPR conscripts dressed in Cold War uniforms, given no armour, WWII-era weapons, and sent to the front lines to die? They should just be executed on the spot even if they surrender because "ah sure it's war, it's fair game"?

And by that logic every single Ukrainian taken prisoner by the Russians should also be executed immediately; right? Including all the women and teenage volunteers just trying to defend their country or help their community? Should we allow a certain amount of raping first? Or nah just straight to the executions; because execution is okay but raping them would be a step too far?

Jesus wept. And look at all the likes too; are you people for real? Executing people who surrender? Seriously?

Meanwhile in another part of the world two neighbouring countries are at odds with each other (what's new there I suppose) once again with one side making nuclear threats, sound familiar?

They can certainly try to persuade the administration but I can't see the US changing their position and agreeing to sending attack planes.

So sad that parents have to essentially turn their childrens backs into impromptu dog tags, that two and a half year old has no idea of the significance of her parents writing on her back no doubt, I pray that information never needs to be looked upon:-

You need to grow up.

A fertile imagination is one thing.

Hate filled drunken ramblings after midnight which could incite violence is quite another.

Kaliningrad is getting some intense attention of late. This is the first time I've seen the RC-135 so far north and so close to Kaliningrad. There has been a steady buildup of forces and equipment by the Russians over the last two weeks, all being observed by the Swedish AF, US Army Beechcraft Signals, P-3 Orions and now the RC-135.

There are only two Combat Sent aircraft in the Air Force inventory and both are assigned to the 55th Wing at Offutt AFB, Neb. The RC-135U aircraft are manned by Air Combat Command crews from the 45th Reconnaissance Squadron and the 97th Intelligence Squadron (of the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency). The Combat Sent is composed of a wide variety of commercial off-the-shelf and proprietary hardware and software. Its current configuration allows for both manual and automatic analysis of electronic signals. By combining manual systems with the Automatic Electronic Emitter Locating System, Ravens and intelligence specialists can simultaneously locate, identify, and analyze multiple electronic signals.

The Combat Sent records these signals for future reference or for extensive analysis by electronic systems theorists. Any information garnered from the data will help determine detailed operating characteristics and capabilities of foreign systems. Evasion techniques and equipment are then developed from this knowledge that will detect, warn of, or defeat these electronic systems.

I watched a lot of war documentaries. Years ago I bought the entire DVD collection of the absolute classic world at war series narrated by Laurence Olivier.

It begins with poignant footage in the abandoned French village of oradure sur glane. Most of the accounts in the series are eyewitness. It was made in the early 70’s so many of the protagonists were still alive. Albert Speer , Bomber Harris , Anthony Eden, Karl donitz , lord mountbatten, Averrill Harriman, Hitlers private secretary Traudl Jung , Karl Wolff (himmlers private aide) Numerous Holocaust survivors in their 30’s and 40’s at the time. I think the fact that most of the people interviewed are in a much younger state and recalling more recent memories than usual world war 2 documentaries really drives home the reality of it. You can still feel the pain and anguish and the Hate. It was as recent for them at that time as the latter days of the troubles in the North are for us today. My take away from it was that there was a sense of we are not far removed from barbarity. That it would not take much for it to all be repeated again. The people were reasonable well spoken decent people just like us generally who were involved in the most terrible acts and witnessed the most unspeakable horror in what were supposed to be modern civilised times. Really modern society and peace and civility is a fragile precarious veneer.

This thread has been derailed / deflected all over the place. IMO the FACTS are as follows :-

Putin said , as recently as a few months ago that

(a) UKR is a failed state and governed by nazis

(b ) Russia and Ukr are all the on family/ we are all brothers or words to that effect.

(c) it was a MAJOR MAJOR mistake that the USSR was broken up

All the reasons being given by Putin to justify the invasion are deflections and we are all ‘ buying into them’

eg existance of bio- chemical facilities, developing an army to threaten a Russia , etc, etc

THE BOTTOM LINE is that Putin wants to recreate the USSR by WHATEVER MEANS. The groundwork for this objective started when he became president and we did not know it.

‘he waits for an opportunity when a number of factors exist and then he pounces to control’ bits here and bits there’ eg Georgia, part of Moldova , Crimera, Donbas area.

And because the WEST has not really reacted to any of this apart from sanctions that the Russians could manage to deal with without significantly upsetting them, Putin PLOUGHED on.

One key part of his strategy is to develop a bit of ferment by identifying/ placing RU sympathisers in the country /part of country he wants to annex and then say ‘ these people speak Russian and they really beylong to the homeland ‘ etc , etc , and away he goes.

As the question goes:-

How do you eat an elephant?

Answer - A little bit at a time.

Merkel hated Putin and it was mutual.

Read up on the

infamous tale of Putin's dog for some colour.

The Geneva Convention exists for a reason.

That said, I wouldn't believe anything (or be so gullible as to post it on here) the Russians claim without checking it had been verified by several independent media sources. They lie as easily as breathing.

I think JP Morgan have pulled out already?

Jame Dimon (probably the most high profile banker in the world) is calling for more sanctions.

Due to increasing shortage of diesel and other distillates Jet fuel reaches the highest price ever. Probably in the next 2 or 3 weeks we will start to see restrictions in place for Diesel.

At this stage if the Russians said it was raining, I'd walk outside myself and check. I dont believe a word they say.

The aim was always to ratchet them up bit by bit. By doing so theoretically would give him reason for pause or to save face and back out. He's very clearly not going to do that.

When joe biden talks "off script" specifically naming putin as a war criminal i keep thinking of the old Tommy Tiernan line when the news anchors ask biden about calling out putin directly and it's diplomatic problems ..

"well it isn't the mexicans is it?"