Actually, Russia has explicitly indicated intentions toward these countries through Putin’s own words (not Western scaremongering)
Putin has spoken about Russias sphere of influence and called the USSR’s collapse ‘the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century’. Before invading Ukraine he released an essay in the history of Russia and Ukraine (still on Kremlin website) stating all Soviets are one people and that Ukraine does not have right to exist as a separate nation (he invaded 6 months later). That same rationale applies to all former USSR countries, especially as he has made similar claims.
In Moldova Russia still currently occupies Transnistria and Putin has specifically mentioned ‘protecting’ Russian speakers there the exact language used before invading Ukraine.
In Georgia Russia already invaded in 2008, still occupying 20% of its territory. Before that invasion, Putin declared ‘Georgia has no historical right to statehood.’
In Baltic States, Putin has reminded everyone ‘don’t forget, Estonia also has a city with a Russian name’ (Narva). Russian officials have questioned whether Baltic independence was even legitimate.
The idea there’s ‘nothing of value’ misunderstands Putin’s goals. it’s not just about resources.
It’s about perceived historical injustices, desires to reunite USSR countries (USSR flags flown in Ukraine and embassies), and massive military/ strategic value (Baltic/Black sea a access, energy pipeline control through Georgia, Kaliningrad corridor)
Russia has already invaded two European neighbors this century. Dismissing concerns from countries in the crosshairs ignores both Putin’s stated beliefs and his actual track record.
Trump 100% is a clear threat to world order and peace. But Putin is simply the other side to the same coin.
Russia did not start the 2008 conflict in Georgia. An EU investigation blamed Georgia president Saakashvili for launching an unprovoked artillery attack on Russian-speaking Tskhinvali in South Ossetia. Russian troops defending Ossetia and conducted a FIVE DAY troop incursion to back their claim for independence as well as that of another breakaway state Abkhasia. Russia was criticised for over-reacting to the Georgia aggression but the EU took no action against it. Georgia still exists as a fully integrated European nation with full membership of the UN, World Bank, IMF, WTO and all sorts of others. Russia has no interest in it beyond influence, as they share a border.
It’s unbelievable that people would buy into Nato scare-mongering and the idea that Russia somehow wants to recreate the USSR. It’s utter and complete nonsense and has no bearing on reality. The people inthe Kremlin aren’t fools. They aren’t thinking, just 35 years after handing back half of Europe; “hey, lets give it another whirl”. Those days are done.
The various Donbas states and Crimea are historically Russian by langauge and culture. One of Zelenskys first actions after he took power in 2019 was to order a de-russification programme in the region, banning use of the Russian language, libraries, schoolbooks and government documents. The Donbas states Donetsk and Luhansk immediately declared independence from Ukraine after a referendum showed overwhelming support. Ukraine responded by launching prolonged artillery attacks for the next three years on the very people it now claims to be fighting for. Ukraine also broke the Minsk Accords which gave the Donbas states the right to free elections and continued its attacks. Russia armed and funded the breakaway states’ response.
Ukraine’s actions plus it’s insistence on applying for Nato membership despite Russia’s 30 year warning that this was a red line, was ignored by Zelensky under pressure from Biden, Johnson and the like. This prompted the current debacle, which looks set to end soon with a ceasefire agreement in which Ukraine will agree not to join Nato.
Zelensky fought this clause tooth and nail because he realises that the people of Ukraine will understandably say why didn’t you just do it in the first place and save all our sons’ lives. What a mess. After seven years in power, maybe one day he will actually agree to hold his first election to see what support he still has left.
Russia took back Crimea in 2014 after Poroshenko came to power in a CIA-backed coup against Russian-backed President Yanukovych. It did so,as you pointed out, because it is a strategic naval stronghold in the Black Sea and Russia feared it would be used to site a US military base. It is fully Russian speaking and welcomed the annexation as it also feared de-russification.
Since its creation Russia has supplied Ukraine with virtually all of it’s natural gas and operated pipelines through the country to supply Europe. Russia’s decision to build the two Nordstream pipelines to Germany was a sore point because it meant Ukraine lost bargaining power with Russia (and the gas it ritually pilfered). Of course, the US blew up those two undersea pipelines soon after the war started allowing US energy companies to fill the short supply.
Russia controls much of the arctic and does not need any control of the Baltic states or Norway. It freely gave them up as part of Perestroika. Look at the maps and it shows that there are huge swathes of international waters for shipping. It is not planning to re-invade because there are already multiple international agreements allowing free passage for all shipping, including Russian. And it would be economic and military suicide. Russia has all the control of Arctic waters and passage through to the Far East that it needs. It is the US that needs more access, hence the threat to Greenland and Canada. If Trump does succeed, then Norway and the Baltics might have something to worry about but not necessarily from Putin.
Over the past 17 years Russia has been involved in two Eropean military actions, with Ukraine and for a week with Georgia. Each time it was a reaction to perceived threats from Nato or Nato influenced states on it’s borders. That’s it. Hardly a sweeping pincer movement to recapture Europe and plant the hammer and sickle atop a newly rebuilt Berlin Wall.
A simple question to ask is what would Russia gain from invading Europe? Nothing except future bankruptcy. Russia wants foreign currency more than territory and that why it is building the Belt and Road Initiative to link China, Russia, India, Turkey and a host of other asian nations in a continental trading bloc that will use local currencies. This is part of the drive to destroy the petrodollar and remove USD as the reserve currency. It’s about MONEY not territory.
And all of them from Trump to Putin, Starmer, Macron, Merz and Zelensky are a bunch of lying, thieving scumbags who don’t give a damn about the people who either did or didn’t elect them.
Can somebody ban this guy already. It’s obvious he’s come into this forum under false pretenses. Almost word for word Russian propaganda. There is literally no point in engaging in it.
Those nations are already independent. I don’t think Russia or any western nations are benign. They all work against each other. What annoys me is people gullibly swallowing disinformation that we are the ‘goodies’ and they are the ‘baddies’. Russian people want what people everywhere want - peace and prosperity. Europe turned its back on Russia after the USSR was dissolved when there was an opportunity to accept it’s efforts to join Nato and the EU. But that would have meant cheap energy and a direct route to China and certain anglo saxons didn’t want that. Western governments also need enemies and having Russia as the eternal enemy gives them the excuse to spread fear and run up colossal military and intelligence budgets to enrich the defence industry rather than funding the NHS and building schools. It makes me puke.
It’s a forum mate. Can you hear yourself? I don’t like what he’s saying, so ban him! How very Starmerish.
If you want to challenge anything I’ve written just provide a detailed response instead lazy one liners. I’m on this forum because I’m a Liverpool fan. I didn’t start this thread either and I’m not promoting anything but the truth.
A good piece here from Politico about the current obsession of the right in eating itself and how X is facilitating that for them.
“X is a post-apocalyptic cesspool of bots, pedophilia and political illiteracy. I deleted it from my phone because it was making me dumber.” - former Breitbart editor Raheem Kassam.
This I agree with. And yet they have been run for most of their history by a cabal of thieving criminals. For a country that has produced so many exemplary writers, artists, composers, scientists and so on, they have only ever produced a political system which is graspingly parasitic.
Russians deserve better. The world deserves better. But Russian pigs always end up walking on two legs.
Most of us here despise Trump and have no love lost for the US and NATO, but that doesn’t mean that we’re going to turn a blind eye to Russia’s predatory stance in regard to Ukraine and elsewhere, so I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve with posts like these. You are not going to convince anyone by parroting Russian propaganda and by stating half-truths.
On second thought, there is something that you’ll surely achieve: you are going to piss people off and get banned.
Always amuses me that people like that seem to think none of us has ever heard these arguments before and our poor western bubble minds must be blown by them.
I have heard these exact lines of arguments ad nauseam over the years, on countless German telly talkshows, on the internet etc. There are even multiple parties on the ballot here that use these arguments to varying degrees, one was largely founded new for that purpose. Zero shortage of that ‘position’. Bit of a contrast to the state of public discussion in lovely Russia I might add.
Let alone that they’ve got a new friend in the White House.
I am not exactly a fan of the western world politics but cmon, to justify Russian aggression? Whatever their concerns are, do not justify walking into Crimea and the subsequent invasion. They are not new to these shit. They basically walked into countries like Estonia in the past. They have no respect for sovereignty. Like I said, even if I don’t like European politics, there is no justification for walking into countries and basically invading them
Trump to denmark: if you dont give us Greenland we will additionally tax our own citizens
Trump to Norway: Supporting peace is only worth it if you get prizes for it, and so because a group of people who are not you didnt award me a prize (I didnt deserve anyway) Im going to start a war in a country that isnt you.
We are so far into 25th amendment territory that we all seem to have given up thinking it of an option.
‘The national emergency is avoiding a national emergency’ (Scott Bessent).
Hats off, got to give it to him, that’s kind of brilliant in an absurdist way.
