Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Saw a video recently where it was argued that as long as Russians are not mobilised they are happy. They have outsourced politics to Putin. All they have to do is shut up and get on with their lives. That’s the phase we are currently in. It is more likely that escalation rather than sanctions will stir the Russian people to real action against Putin or a combination of both especially if the escalation is unprovoked.

Your quote didn't quite give the whole story there either. So yep people should read articles.

That statement makes it sound effect on Kaliningrad of the new EU sanctions wasn't fully considered at a political level (even if Lithuania's implemetation was correct). The sanctions involve all member states + need unanimity so Germany and others have a right to an opinion on it IMO.

However I don't think the EU should have softened its position. Russia throw out all these insane threats since the invasion whenever they are not getting their own way. They should be on ignore. Kaliningrad was not being "blockaded" here I think, just a bit more awkward (slower, more expensive) for Russia to get some stuff into it.

Because for a long time, whenever we pointed out that this war might not have the rosy ending many here were predicting in mid April, we were called Putin bots, Russia lovers and many other stupid names by a hardcore group that refused to even contemplate other points of view. It drove many people away from this thread completely and it's perfectly reasonable to call that group of people out for their constant pile ons. Almost all of us support Ukraine here but there has to be room for different view points without immediately being attacked.

True. I got a lot of stick for being 'zv2' when all people have to do is look at the date I joined. I got my Z long before Putin did. I got mislead by a dodgy link recently and suddenly I was on Putin's side.

They're as much part of the ukraine as the Crimea has been for the last 8 years. Russia won't give them up & the ukraine aren't capable of getting them back.

I suspect when the Donetsk Republic is fully under Russian control there'll be referendums in both to join the Russian Federation.

All modern countries are tyrannies. Some are just more subtle than others. But Russia is particularly brutal and has been for centuries. Only tonight I was reading about this (be warned, this is difficult reading and not for the faint-hearted) -

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa 🇷🇴 on Twitter: "You think you know the full horrors of communism? Let me introduce you to the Romanian People's Republic re-education experiments at Piteșt prison (1949-1951.) The program has been called among the worst acts of inhumanity by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. (THREAD) https://t.co/IGxj4lisJ1" / Twitter

It depends on how you define tyranny. We are all lied to.

Kinda true. But in the West we can b1tch about our liars without getting a black bag over our heads and dragged away. We can also choose which liars to elect. Freely and fairly. We can also take the absolute piss out of these people in satire on radio, TV and internet. Ireland can be many things, tyranny is not one of them.

More fire in Russia, Moscow-

It's hardly surprising that Ukraine is struggling. They admit themselves that Russia are out-gunning them in Donbas by a factor of 10 to 1. When you are vastly out-matched, a half dozen CESAR's here, or a dozen M777's there just isn't going to be enough to turn the situation around for Ukraine.

The situation for Ukraine looks very grim to me.

Undoubtedly there will be referendums, where 101% of the people support joining Russia. Doesn't make any of it legitimate, unless you're Russia or Syria. I know it can be exciting to see Russia advance, but the war isn't over just yet.

Prudence Goodwyfe, died 1641...she voted to join Russia...so did Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper......

Yes and no. Yes, the situation in Donbas is pretty grim at the moment. But that's because Russia is throwing everything it has available in there, by the looks of it. Meanwhile, in Kherson Oblast, an area that has been under a media blackout for quite some time now, it looks as if Ukrainian forces are moving closer to the city of Kherson every single day. Also, whilst Lysychansk may have fallen, it looks as if Ukrainian forces were actually able to withdraw in good order, rather than being encircled and crushed as the Russians had probably hoped. That means they'll still have their equipment and, more importantly, experienced soldiers that can be circled back to the rear and used to train up replacements.

Also, what's going on with the Russian Air Farce? Can anyone explain that to me? If things everywhere were as grim as the are in Donbas, we should be seeing Russian fighters and ground attack aircraft striking everywhere between Severodonetsk and Lviv. Yet the only Russian aircraft that seem to operate deep behind enemy lines are anti ship missiles. Even with the ongoing corruption and materiel issues, there should be enough aircraft available to blanket Ukraine, but that's not happening. Makes you wonder just what state the Ukrainian Air Force is actually in...