Russia - threadbanned users in OP

A bit like if IE had welcomed in the Nazis. Churchill woulda wiped Southern IE off the face of the earth.

Russia views a US-run UKR as a existential threat, rightly or wrongly. It is a clear red line for them, and has been flagged as such for the last 25 years.

The presence of Nazis in Ukraine has been greatly over exaggerated by Russia as one paper thin pretext for invasion. Nazism doesn't bother Russia at all. If it did, their top mercenary group probably wouldn't have been called Wagner, nor would its late Co-founder have had tattoos of SS insignia.

As for influence on Ukraine being a red line, has Putin ever considered that Russia could have better held on to it by not being such a shttty, corrupt country who offers little hope of economic growth to its vassals? You'll notice that every former Eastern bloc country now in the EU/NATO has little to no interest in leaving and joining EEU/CSTO (lol) instead. They know where their bread is buttered. Russia should tend to its garden. It'll catch many more butterflies that way than trying to machine gun them down.

There was an item on Sky News this morning about the Brits. testing a new laser AA weapon. Costs only £10 to take down a plane. Israelis have something similar.

Off topic (or maybe not)

The Americans and Germans and Swedish have been working on them for years too ,

I remember Poland before they joined the EU, and now several years after membership, the place is transformed. After Brexit many Poles had to leave the UK (in their thousands) none or very few returned. Plenty of employment in Poland now. They're building up their military in preparation for a war with Russia, which they see as inevitable, and soon they will have the strongest military in the EU. Now that should be a bigger worry for Putin, but he believed after Crimea (and Georgia, Chechnya etd) without any major backlash from the world, Ukraine would be easy pickings. There's a post here on boards a while back, in which Putin is claiming the parts of Ukraine he presently occupies as " The Conquered Lands" (or words to that effect) Which was what he was planning all along as part of his empire building fantasy. NATO, Nazis, Evil West etc. were never any threat to him, but he used the words very effectively, especially in Russia. Even now, with a decimated army and a collapsing economy, he still seems to think that he can still achieve his fantazy. And while that's very doubtful, he has (unfortunately) the capability to kill many thousands more, and still cause massive destruction. He's one right evil bastard! 👺

Putins current status

@pixelburp For reference, IIRC barely 8,000 US soldiers died in Afghanistan and Iraq combined in the early 2000s. Russia has nearly hit the combined military deaths for the UK in ww2, and not far off America's own tally. And all this in a country a third the population of America, an approximate fourth/fifth of the EU.

And those figures combined for 20 years of daily combat in both countries, you could throw in the first gulf war and Somalia and still wouldn't wouldn't come close to the Russian losses over the last 2+ years

Posted last week ,the tank was eventually abandoned after crashing into a tree ,the gunner credited Playing war thunder game for the tactics

Yes, and costs played a big part Russia's defeat in Afghanistan too. Once the US started supplying the mujahedeen with arm held missile launchers, and the Afghan's got good at using them it was curtains for the main advantage that the Russians had, air superiority. There was a limit to the Nr. of Hind's (flying tank) Helicopters that the Russians had, and when they were all gone, that was it. It was leave, or bankruptcy. Supporting an active army is an extremely expensive business, and hopefully, Putin and his cronies are really starting to feel the pinch now.

Meanwhile another Russian in the tennis Australian Open. Resorts to biting herself in anger when she was loosing to Diane Perry.

Commentators have questioned her mental status.

It was mentioned here before of the riots in Bashkortostan. I'm not sure if this particular news report was reported here. Apologies if it was already.

And more..

What a wonderful little propagandist she is. (Promptly flags her on YouTube for probably being Russian State Affiliated)

It’s interesting that they’re still getting luxury goods, but from what I understand a lot of Western brands come into Russia via 3rd Countries which will inflate the prices. The shopping center she entered had branded concessions but I’m thinking those concessions are Russian owned and operated whereas the Branded shops were operated by the actual brands themselves.

She makes a brag near the end that Russians can simply go to Dubai or Turkey to buy this branded goods which comes across as very tone-deaf. No doubt the wealthiest Russians (currently) still have enough cash to throw at such a shopping trip, but that can’t be true for most Russians. And I wonder how well lit up that street will be during the rolling blackouts thar Moscow might soon experience.

Fire at gas terminal in St Peters burg..