Russia - threadbanned users in OP

I've repeatedly expressed doubts about Ukraine's counter-offensive and military situation here, I've yet to be labelled a Putinbot.

Likely because my support is genuine. Unfortunately some posters have come in here with a less than genuine agenda, and while they may not directly admit support for Putin (or against Ukraine), they manifest it in other ways, concern-trolling, contrarianism and other red flags.

On a side note it's an horrific war, atrocities are committed against Ukrainians daily, people are being blown to pieces, it's highly emotive. We aren't robots, it's only natural that people are strongly supportive of Ukraine and emotional towards the perpetrators.

Agreed but it hardly matters whether as a Russian citizen you are aware of what is going down and are sitting on your hands or whether as a Russian citizen you have taken all the state propaganda at face value and agree with the SMO. Or are Russian expat living in the EU and either keeping the head down or out marching in support.

Both groups are equally culpable and responsible for what their state is engaged in, both individually and collectively.

People can make excuses for them, but that's all they are, excuses. Excuses that don't wash and they deserve great hardship to be brought on them.

The leaked documents from the US months ago did state the counter offensive would likely not succeed.

They are rarely wrong.

The posters that are very pro Ukranian are very quick to update if things are going bad too. This thread is near real time in terms of updates good or bad. When the damn blew, when prigozhin coup collapsed, when Russia attacks the power plant, it is up here on this thread almost instantaneously from the mostly strongly pro Ukranian posters. This thread is absolutey fine. There is no distortion of information caused by where sympathies lie. It’s one of the most insidious, disingenuous arguments that has arisen over the last 10 years in the wake of brexit and trump and this horrific war and is straight out of the Russian propaganda playbook. This false concern that everything has to balanced by opposing views and faux concern for free speech. It’s the height of horse shite and is completely and utterly disingenuous. It’s straight out bare faced platforming of lies to suit agendas and nothing to do with balance.

all who stay silent, all who can not decide, all who 'are not interested in politics', all who say 'it is not that conclusive', and absolutely all who support their fascist/nazi mafia regime.

you could say that in 1930' when all there was a local newspaper and radio. Its a bit ridiculous to state that in 2023. Today, it is their choice.

No, it's correct. It's the premise of 'common purpose', a component of common law and goes back hundreds of years. It is relevant to many jurisdictions including Ireland.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_purpose

They have full unrestricted access to YouTube which contains lots of factual western media reports on the Russian invasion like CNN, BBC, TV5 etc.

So yes they have a choice, believe the Russian manipulated media or foreign independent truth media.

So less of the ‘poor old brainwashed Russians’ they just choose to back their own side in this illegal war.

@Wibbs don't know if you spotted this article from Time that posted earlier in the week. While it acknowledges a lot of the issues at the front, it would somewhat disagree with the "frozen front" view...

In brief, it's argument is that while Ukraine doesn't have the long range missiles or air supremacy for the counter-offensive to achieve the Dessert Storm like lightening strike to the Azov sea many in the West are expecting/wishing for, Russia don't appear to have the reserves necessary to rotate troops all along the front or shore up defences when pressed (an issue the UAF don't currently have) which, when added to the other structural problems the Russian military have, suggest that while it'll be a slow grind, Ukraine should eventually prevail... Don't just take my summary of it though, the article is well worth throwing on the kettle for IMO.

Nah,

This lad takes away the Civilian bodies (like that 8 year old boy murdered this morning)

This sums it up well

True ,those that advocate even loosely an "only Russian is a dead Russian" approach are in my view playing Putin's game as some kind of propaganda virus.

The Ukrainians deserve better than such "support"

Coming from the mouth of someone directly affected by the invasion those sentiments would perhaps be understandable but we ,from our secure vantage point should espouse sentiments that are worth others dying for(and hope that the Russian and Ukrainian peoples can eventually live in peace and mutual respect with each other)

Ireland needs to join NATO and get some ammo to Ukraine. Otherwise we remain neutral arse scratchers.