Ukraine (Mod Note & Threadbanned Users in OP)

Unlikely to have that effect - far more likely that saboteurs or insiders in Russia are targeting strategic infrastructure to undermine the war effort.

Murders of oligarchs are probably an attempt by the pro-war faction in Russia to eliminate those who could be seen as undermining the war. There is a whole infrastructure beneath Putin to enforce these extrajudicial "suicides" - if Putin were to go the replacement could be even worse, especially if they dont need to keep oligarchs happy.

Don't know, a lot is going on. Some key news feeds I follow will sometimes not report some fairly significant developments.

No, Putin wouldn’t hand them over. He already promoted them. Putin is fully responsible.

This a proxy war between two idealogies- western idealogy represented on the ground by Ukraine as puppets of NATO & co. and the Russians dictatorship led by Putin and his army, the theather of war is the land of Ukraine. NATO / US are arming and financing the Ukrainains and they are, behind the scenes, pulling the strings. For example Zelenskeyy is under orders by his masters to allow 6 billon Euro worth of gas from Russia to flow thru Ukraine every week, replenishing Putins war machine. If it wasn't so serious it would be funny. Certain EU leaders have to have their cheap fuel to keep their ivory towers warm and keep their subject happy, as they watch from a distance as east Ukraine is being obliterated. When this war will eventually end it will be NATO (in disguise) and Russia who will decide on who gets what when the spoils of war is being divided up.

No, it's Russia invading a country that is absolutely no threat to them. It's an illegal war, based on lies. They've even forgotten their propaganda lines recently by openly discussing taking the South to link up to Transnistria - that's straight up imperialism. If they can connect, then Moldova is in serious trouble. Russian helicopters have "onwards to Berlin" written on them, their state TV hosts openly talk about invading more European countries and dropping nukes.

You are utterly disconnected from reality if you are recycling Putin's talking points considering what's just happened

Except that the Russian dictator awarded the unit responsible for the murders and rapes in Bucha with special honours. So that says it all about who is responsible and where the orders are coming from.

The Ukrainian people want to turn their back on corruption and tyranny and oppression and want to turn their face towards Europe and freedom and human dignity. Which might sound high and mighty to cynics in the west but to them it is very simple and very clear and very obvious. We are so far removed from such basic denial of human rights in the west that some of us can’t get our heads around what Russian oppression is like. Peace with Russia and giving in to Russia is a life of misery for them for generations to come. To just give up on them and abandon them for fear of provoking Russia is utter defeatism. They are better off living and fighting through the hell of this war no matter how hellish it gets and for however long it takes than to live through another 100 years of Russian tyranny and corruption. That’s what awaits them if they give up. And if I was in their shoes I’d do the very same thing and fully support them no question.

Straight from the horses mouth:

"The Russian economy has made it through the first blow caused by the sanctions imposed by the war in Ukraine, according to the president of the Russian Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina. But she warned representatives at the Duma this Monday that the country’s reserves are near their end, and the real crisis will hit between the second and third quarter this year. Hours after Nabiullina sounded the alert, Vladimir Putin himself rejected her warning. “Russia has resisted unprecedented pressure. The situation is stabilizing,” the head of state said in a press conference about the country’s economic situation.

Nabullina emphasized that the economy is far from returning to normal. “The period when the economy has been able to live on the reserves is over. In the second quarter or at the beginning of the third, we will enter a phase of structural transformation,” said the economist, whose tenure leading the financial organism was set to end this year and was renewed for five years at Putin’s decision."

For all the Clare Daly's of the world foaming at the mouth this is about Russia protecting itself from NATO

These flags are being flown everywhere. It's imperialism and conquest.

They still celebrate Lenin's bday... what a nation

Thought they were blaming the Communists for creating Ukraine as a state.....