Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Due entirely to corruption

Girkin trolling Prigozhyn.

Thing is though,If or should I say when Ukraine manages to retake it's borders it will most likely become an EU member,so in time will start to have a higher and more prosperous standard of living.

That would help to attract the displaced people back.

Plus there will be a lot of work available in rebuilding the country and developing it's natural gas exports.

Ministry of Defense of Belarus announced new drill with Russian troops, aviation and air defense at all airfields and firing ranges across Belarus starting 16th January until 1st February

someone on here predicted two weeks, looks like they were spot on

I guess we don't have long to see if this is a drill or not.

I lived in Russia for several years too, both before and after Putin came to power. What Russia was like back then before they opened up to western society and influence is like comparing chalk with cheese, only much greater difference. They were incomparably worse off I can tell you. I can still vividly remember the GUM stores. did you know them? And any improvements came because they invited westerners in to show them how to modernize and improve, to western standards. Aer Lingus were a case in point, they showed them how to run Airport duty-free shops, and when they could run them themselves, they did not need Aer Lingus anymore. This was SOP for any Company's they invited in. They learned from them, and kicked them out. Now you are saying that they would be much better off cutting themselves off from western influence. Rubbish!!! They will go back to Lada style infrastructure. And as for them being a hardy people, sure they are, ( the ones that survive, that is) The main City's, Moscow and St. Petersburg, are fine, but travel around the Republics and the rural areas, any you will see the real Russia. And I can tell you they are far from glitzy and glamorous. The amount of toilet's, washing machine's and indeed any household appliance's theft from Ukraine tells the real story. As for the survival rate you speak about, the population Nrs have been dropping for years, hence the devilish practice of kidnapping thousands and thousands of Ukrainian children. Good, let them introduce the Iron Curtain again. Might be the best thing to happen.

I say has to be another front eventually there. I say putin is hoping for that to happen. Will mean a bit of an ease for them on other sections of the front and make Ukraine stretch their military there. Would be interesting tho if it was to happen would Ukraine take the fight properly into Belarus and invade them with their military and just try and even keep the war in Eastern Ukraine as static as they can if this was to happen, just knock Belarus out of the war completely then. Would they be capable of doing the 2 at the same time I wonder. But saying that I suppose Russia would then try and make Ukraine out to be the aggressor then saying there invading Belarus and rally for full mobilisation then. I say the Belarus issue is a headache for Ukraine in the fact that they are been attacked from there and have thousands of forces tied up there that they wish they could send to the east. I suppose we will know what way the wind is going if Russia does have another mobilisation of 500k and say 200k were sent into Belarus then you would know for sure its going to happen.

140 million people with ample resources yet they have done nothing of significance in three decades. The brilliance of Stravinsky and Rachmaninoff reached global audiences yet today they jail Pussy Riot and bring nothing to the world of arts or science. Russia under Putin's authority has been a failure even if a select urban population live reasonably well in the ironically most Westerly regions.

Yeah they could do that exactly. I suppose the more Russia sends into Belarus and if Ukraine believes they may invade from there the more then Ukraine would have to send there in both men and materials and less they can move against Russia in Eastern Ukraine so I suppose in that sense it will help Russia out there a bit even. I don't think they would make the same mistake and move on Kiev. The only time that would happen is if Ukraine was loosing and big time loosing. Saying that looking at the map here of Ukraine etc. The northern part that juts into both Russia and Belarus is interesting in regards to a possible northern invasion. Belarus could attack from the left and Russia from the North and right side. Could try and take that chunk from Ukraine. Your right and left and rear side is your borders so you wouldn't be getting attacked there but from the south in Ukraine if you were to take it. The river could be your furthest advance down and offers a buffer Ukraine would need to cross to get to you.

They wouldn't need to drive to Kiev just cross the border and create another foothold (Beach head)? inside ukraine

The claim of 600 probably verifies the accuracy of the original UA claim of killing 600 Russians.

Seems more than likely it's 20,000 and more arriving daily

As regards Belarus, this could be one of a number of things -

A tactic to slowly absorb Belarus into Russia, an opportunity to establish a force on the ground that will make it very clear to the populace who is in control.

A safe training ground for conscripts, whilst tying up Ukrainian defenders

To launch a new offensive from the north, maybe timed for anniversary of 'initial special military operation' so as to demoralise Ukrainian citizens.

I wonder are the Russian grainstores full? #ukrainiangrain

The Ukrainian border guards have been busy since they kicked the Horde out, mining the border and building defensive measures. From what I can gather, the seem confident that an assault from that direction will be difficult and costly for the attackers.

That should clear up any misunderstandings.

The one thing doesn't preclude the other. Is your mind so simple you can't accept that a country can have a lot of rotten elements and a small number of decent elements at the same time? Only an idiot could think defending talented dissidents is the same as defending a barbaric government

I mentioned two examples above, both of which you ignored. What's the point in listing more? For you Russian = orc. Fine, stick to that view. You don't even WANT to hear about any positive examples so why waste time?

My hatred of Putin and his war I've made clear many times. In no way do I share forest's views. All I ever said and have always said is 140 million people can't all be lumped together as uniformly guilty. A vast majority yes, but not all. I know you disagree. Fine. We can have separate views on that issue

Some people would say mass if they could 🇻🇦

Things must be pretty desperate if the regime is having to invent military "successes" for the benefit of the serfs and the Putin bots. Not a good sign for them.

And how many Belarussians will join them on the trip....????

From above and yesterday where Russia claimed it had targeted a building and killed 600 Ukrainian soldiers,

Now compare to Ukrainan strikes using precision strikes from HiMars