My impression is that the Ukrainian resistance is far more ferocious than anticipated, and I truly hope that it doesn’t extend down into civilian resistance, because the casualties will be horrific if it does. Kyiv is cut off to the west, but the eastern pincer from Russian territory has barely moved since the initial gains. The push towards Mariupol is very slow. Kharkiv similar story. Even where they made fast gains yesterday out of Crimea, the Russians seem to be held at the river, though imperfectly. I don’t see any real hope for Ukraine, but this is not playing out at all like I expected. In particular, I thought the Russian 2nd phase today would be devastating, and a collapse was a real possibility. It has done a lot of damage, but seemingly not much effect on Ukrainian resistance.
That is just about the only oil field in Syria, and notwithstanding what Trump said, the oilfields themselves were never actually in American hands in an economic sense.
Sorry if it’s already been answered but with news that Kyiv residents have been given guns, does anyone know if Ukraine has National Service?
Please feel free to use Google, was plenty of references to it when I looked , also remember seeing videos of convoys of American trucks going from Iraq into Syria and back …basically taking what they wanted as usual and at one point was a Russian convoy and American convoy on the same road …the Americans carried on forcing the Russians to swerve to avoid crashing into each other …so who has legitimate right to be there ? …since Russia was invited by Assad …and don’t forget that USA /trump ordered the killing of apparently hundreds of Russian mercenaries who were fighting against Isis
Just feel sorry for the civilians as always , war is pointless and the fact that fuck all changes from the elites perspective is something people should be looking at
НЕТ ВОЙНЕ (NO WAR) trending in social media.
https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/нетвойне
From the timeline of my Russian friend
I express my full solidarity with the citizens of Ukraine. I want my friends and family that live there to know about this. I am against the actions of the Russian government.
I AM AGAINST THE WAR.
.
I appeal to my Russian friends and relatives: do not be silent! Don’t become an accomplice!
Zakharova is fielding questions about Finland and Sweden’s prospective entry to NATO presently. Naturally, the debate in these two countries has re-ignited after the events preceding the invasion and the invasion itself. Entirely predicable course of action as well.
Putin opened Pandora’s Box.
Surely this is only going to encourage countries to seek NATO membership ASAP?
Checked - Ukraine does appear to have national service. 1 year in the army or 18 months in the Navy - must be served between the ages of 20-27.
Lots of reservists - including women. Large % of the population can be legally conscripted in times of emergency (as now).
Must be a horrible situation/feeling to be them, would not like to be in that position myself. But I can understand why many would obviously jump at it to defend their home nation …crazy world
It’s a lot easier to call people mafia bosses when you’re posting on an online forum than it is to implement policy around such an idea. If we had the shit on these people sufficient to implement such a policy it would have already been done. Without that the implementation of the policy is just a step away from the WWII Japanese internment camps in WWII, which in a long line of awful things is right at the top of the most shameful American acts of the 20th century.
I have no idea how I’d react. I’d like to think I’d immediately take up arms. I was a good shot when I was a Navy cadet (royal marksman level), so I’d fancy trying to find an elevated position to take out as many as I could.
I think this significantly underestimates him. Yes he is a thug, and that opens up a world of options to him that are not available to other politicians/leaders, but his rise within Russia is a testament to his smarts (in the context of what was required to thrive in 90s Russia). He was considered an unremarkable KGB agent and then similarly unremarkable local politician, but after being taken to Moscow by his mentor, Yeltsin identified that his work for this man, perceived to be one of the men most likely to challenge Boris’ leadership, was making life difficult for him. This is what lead Yeltsin to earmark him for a leadership position. There is a story about how Yeltsin was trying to arrest this guy on trumped up charges that founded on nothing more than protection of his job and eliminating an opponent. A pretty dangerous position to be in for the opponent, and for Putin. Yet, under the full watch of the Russian security apparatus, Putin orchestrated his exit out of the country and got him into exile. Rather than being vengeful, Yeltsin gave him a golf clap and realized he was more valuable as an ally than opponent so took him under his wing, and then made him head of the FSB.
In GoT terms he really is similar to littlefinger.
I’ve just seen footage of a Russian military vehicle, deliberately drive over a civilian car in Kiev. It crushed the car, trapping the driver inside, fortunately he seemed to be alive.
Sorry if already posted
I keep thinking of the sniper scene from Private Ryan with the tank…
I’ve seen it as well. They pulled him out. That was cold blooded in the extreme, driver probably a sociopath who enjoyed pulling the wings off flies as a kid for a laugh. Cunt.
No question about any of that, just that it was never Syrian oil that motivated American action.
OK, now it gets serious. Putin will have to consider stopping now.