Europe at War

[greg]

I think calling present-day Ukraine a Nazi State based on a couple of things that happened decades ago is stupid. That's also why I think using blackface as a descriptor of present-day Trudeau, based on incidents that happened decades ago, is stupid.

I see what you mean, it is an issue of where to draw the line, how long to wait until such incidents aren't relevant any more.
Either he is truly a changed man, or he's only changed on the outside to appease his fellow party members.
Same can be said about certain other politicians... we won't go there... we've had previous discussions here in GMG on this and it doesn't fit this thread. But I'm not the only one bringing up incidents from the past to characterize the present state of politicians.
So you know what, probably it is pointless to mention the blackface. We don't know where his heart is and can't read his mind.

What we were actually talking about here in the "Europe at War" thread, before you tried to turn into a rerun of aspects of the coronavirus thread, were references to Ukraine.

Yeah, that tended to go a little off topic, my bad.
Just that the same patterns pop out hard, wanted to comment at how amusing it is to observe, regardless of leaders- whether it's Putin, Trudeau, etc.
We can leave it at that.

He's just copying some QAnon stuff; no use arguing.

Another typically useless smear from you. You probably know more about QAnon than me, I don't know a single thing about it other than it's related to right-wing conspiracy stuff.
Also not an argument, rather a discussion IMO- at least Madiel seems to be listening and not making the worst assumptions constantly- you, on the other hand, have a habit of being like a deaf brick wall that spews venom, pretty pointless having a discussion with you.

(btw, what you're doing is the same thing I'm talking about in my posts lol)

[Karl Henning]

Thanks Karl. Without a doubt, the greatest performance by Arnold.

Wahrheit!

[Que]

China sits still on the fence, with higher govt circles divided, and amidst US concerns:


China's decisive turning point: will it side with Russia and divide the world?

[MusicTurner]

... the Russian don't know where they are until they are fired on.
(...)

Not nice circumstances.

Rumours are also that many are using maps from 1987; a lot of things, including infrastructure and place names, have changed since then.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

     The Ukes have better recon on the ground and via drones. They know where the Russians are and the Russian don't know where they are until they are fired on.

I don't know whether or not you read my posting and link to a BBC news story, but I had added to it this (from the same article):

For Ukraine to target specific Russian officers, it needs to know where they are. Analysts say that Russia has been using open channels of communications which could give clues about where certain targets are located.
"If the Russians are using mobile phones or analogue radios to communicate with senior officers, the Ukrainians have everything on their plate," defence analyst Konrad Muzyka of Rochan Consulting told the BBC.
After the death of another senior officer - Maj Gen Vitaly Gerasimov - Ukraine released a recording purporting to be two Russian security officers discussing the general's death, and complaining that their secure communications network was not working.

PD

[Karl Henning]

Not nice circumstances.

"But," as Kutuzov says of the French in War and Peace, "Nobody invited them."

[vandermolen]

"But," as Kutuzov says of the French in War and Peace, "Nobody invited them."

Very true Karl - or, as someone darkly joked, the novel is now probably re-named 'Special Operation and Peace'.

[drogulus]

I don't know whether or not you read my posting and link to a BBC news story, but I had added to it this (from the same article):

For Ukraine to target specific Russian officers, it needs to know where they are. Analysts say that Russia has been using open channels of communications which could give clues about where certain targets are located.
"If the Russians are using mobile phones or analogue radios to communicate with senior officers, the Ukrainians have everything on their plate," defence analyst Konrad Muzyka of Rochan Consulting told the BBC.
After the death of another senior officer - Maj Gen Vitaly Gerasimov - Ukraine released a recording purporting to be two Russian security officers discussing the general's death, and complaining that their secure communications network was not working.

PD

     This has been discussed on many news outlets, so I don't know where I first came across it.

     Any postwar plan for Ukraine will include the provision that they will not join NATO, and that has already been conceded by Ukraine. Therefore the defense of the country will be along the lines of the relationship between Sweden and Finland, non-Nato states for now, and NATO. Public agreements will have not so public provisions.

     Finland is replacing its aging air fleet...

     

     .....of American Hornets with a newer American plane, the F-35. US planes can carry the most modern missiles in the NATO inventory, and new weapons will be designed to work with the existing NATO platforms.

     It's too early to say what Uke "neutrality" will look like. What is actually done will be as informative as what is said. I do wonder about where Sweden fits in. Sweden is kind of sort of not a NATO country. The Saab Gripen is a most excellent jet that can carry NATO weapons almost as though it was designed to carry NATO weapons.

[MusicTurner]

There's a video interview with a Ukrainian presidential adviser from 2019 predicting a likely major Russian invasion in 2020-22, including their advances along the 4 axis they actually choose, and saying that this would probably be the occasion for Ukraine to join NATO.

There's no doubt Ukraine had NATO ambitions back then, and that they were at least to some extent well-prepared for the current scenario. But they often seem to be too ambitious as regards NATO. I didn't check the video date, but Zelensky was elected in May 2019.

The interesting interview with Zelensky's military advisor Arestovich is from March 2019. He predicted it all and had the Ukrainian strategy thought out.

Putin today told about also the Russianness of Moldova, Belarus, Ukraine, Crimea etc., and promised the public to stick to "our future plans". Arestovich predicted a log-term Russian plan for a larger "Taiga Union" consisting at least of these countries, maybe also Kazakhstan and others, probably for around 2030, and likely decided for in 2007. A neutral Ukraine will mean its annexation into Russia; if so, Russia would then become too powerful for a fragmented Western Europe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xNHmHpERH8

original publication (use google translate) https://apostrophe-ua.translate.goog/article/politics/2019-03-18/polnotsennaya-voyna-s-rossiey-nachnetsya-cherez-paru-let---aleksey-arestovich/24496?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

African Americans and African Europeans help African students in Ukraine.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/18/tech/african-students-ukraine-social-media/index.html

[Karl Henning]

The interesting interview with Zelensky's military advisor Arestovich is from March 2019. He predicted it all and had the Ukrainian strategy thought out.

Putin today told about also the Russianness of Moldova, Belarus, Ukraine, Crimea etc., and promised the public to stick to "our future plans". Arestovich predicted a log-term Russian plan for a larger "Taiga Union" consisting at least of these countries, maybe also Kazakhstan and others, probably for around 2030, and likely decided for in 2007. A neutral Ukraine will mean its annexation into Russia; if so, Russia would then become too powerful for a fragmented Western Europe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xNHmHpERH8

original publication (use google translate) https://apostrophe-ua.translate.goog/article/politics/2019-03-18/polnotsennaya-voyna-s-rossiey-nachnetsya-cherez-paru-let---aleksey-arestovich/24496?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Putin will push the Ukrainians toward happiness with an iron hand!

[drogulus]

     https://www.youtube.com/v/pmMCYFKjWaQ

[Que]

Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister praised Fox News for its coverage of the war in Ukraine during an in-studio interview with Russian state-controlled RT network. "We know the manners and the tricks that are being used by the western countries to manipulate media... If you take the United States, only Fox News is trying to present some alternative point of view." Lavrov said.


Lavrov's praise for Fox News reminds me of Putin's earlier praise for Brexit. Are some of us (in the west) really that stupid? 

[Karl Henning]

Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister praised Fox News for its coverage of the war in Ukraine during an in-studio interview with Russian state-controlled RT network. "We know the manners and the tricks that are being used by the western countries to manipulate media... If you take the United States, only Fox News is trying to present some alternative point of view." Lavrov said.


Lavrov's praise for Fox News reminds me of Putin's earlier praise for Brexit. Are some of us (in the west) really that stupid? 

I'll wager that Fox's audience are ....

[Que]

I'll wager that Fox's audience are ....

Sad! 

[Karl Henning]

Sad! 

Truly!

[LKB]

Naw, the people lapping up Fox's bs are undoubtedly confident that Vlad the Mad will find a way to declare " victory ", thus vindicating the former Dickhead-in-Chief, Tucker Soulless and the fool- of- the- week Cawthorn in one fell swoop.

[LKB]

     This has been discussed on many news outlets, so I don't know where I first came across it.

     Any postwar plan for Ukraine will include the provision that they will not join NATO, and that has already been conceded by Ukraine. Therefore the defense of the country will be along the lines of the relationship between Sweden and Finland, non-Nato states for now, and NATO. Public agreements will have not so public provisions.

     Finland is replacing its aging air fleet...

     

     .....of American Hornets with a newer American plane, the F-35. US planes can carry the most modern missiles in the NATO inventory, and new weapons will be designed to work with the existing NATO platforms.

     It's too early to say what Uke "neutrality" will look like. What is actually done will be as informative as what is said. I do wonder about where Sweden fits in. Sweden is kind of sort of not a NATO country. The Saab Gripen is a most excellent jet that can carry NATO weapons almost as though it was designed to carry NATO weapons.

Well, the Finns would have done better to have held out for something better than F-35's, but since nobody asked me l won't stress on it. 

[drogulus]

Well, the Finns would have done better to have held out for something better than F-35's, but since nobody asked me l won't stress on it. 

     We've gone beyond the "what a kludge, it will never work right" stage and what I gather is we're well into the "OMFG this thing is a monster" phase. Now the main objection is that it's expensive to buy and operate.

[Florestan]

Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister praised Fox News for its coverage of the war in Ukraine during an in-studio interview with Russian state-controlled RT network. "We know the manners and the tricks that are being used by the western countries to manipulate media... If you take the United States, only Fox News is trying to present some alternative point of view." Lavrov said.


Lavrov's praise for Fox News reminds me of Putin's earlier praise for Brexit. Are some of us (in the west) really that stupid? 

Tucker Carlson's editorials are routinely quoted in full on a conservative, nationalist, conspiracy-theory news & ops Romanian website whose stance is that while Putin is a contemptible criminal the invasion of Ukraine is just the latest step toward the Great Reset (the prior one being the Covid pandemics) and the world leaders and organizations, including BIden, Macron, SCholz, Johnson and NATO, are complicit to that. 

I am astosnished to see that many people who profess to be conservatives consider Putin as one of their own and Russia as a country worthy of admiration and emulation. I believe that, on the contrary, an intellectually honest and morally principled conservative should recoil in horror at both.