Ukraine

[Mark Blanchard]

So full scale invasion.  So we had a month of lies.  

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

I reckon it will be all over within a few days. I don’t think the Ukrainian army will put up much of a defence, especially if they have already lost air superiority. They’ll be sitting ducks. Amazing really in this day and age that it can be so simple to invade another country.

[Barrykearley]

21 minutes ago, Mark Blanchard said:

So full scale invasion.  So we had a month of lies.  

Anyone really expect anything different. Putin has already hinted at using Nukes. 
 

The world will sit back and watch - I cannot see any intervention whatsoever.

[basalte]

There’ll be a lot of tough talk . But if you look at the links between Russian oligarch money and the governing elite here  - (exposed week after week in the pages of Private Eye )- it’s hard not to think that they all have too much to lose to isolate Putin .
Son of a KGB agent , Lord Yevgeny Lebedev of Siberia ( his genuine title !) sitting in the House of Lords , helping to set British government policy , is the tip of the iceberg . 

[DanR]

Putin in on a personal crusade to restore greater Russia and ultimately repatriate Alaska, which was a bad deal when it was sold to the USA for $7.2m in 1867.

[Mark Blanchard]

Interesting to read the other side of the coin here, that Nato kept expanding eastwards.  

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-02-24/Chinese-FM-holds-phone-conversation-with-Russian-FM-Lavrov-17UV2UChaJq/index.html

I think we're well and truly back to cold war times now.

[TdM]

I think there's an important difference between countries entering a defensive alliance of their own volition and 'expansion' which would suggest an aggressive military growth.

Putin is being petulant because he needs to bolster his position inside Russia and in his own head.

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

Not sure what harm economic sanctions will have when compared to adding another 41 million people to your population and possession of the next largest country in Europe and everything it owns. Not a bad return for a few days’ work.

[andydclements]

Hopefully the sanctions then make that wealth unusable for those in control / with a high degree of influence.

[bogle]

Putin has made me very unhappy.  He's now an International Terrorist and Criminal who is likely to start WWIII.  

[Barrykearley]

1 hour ago, Mark Blanchard said:

Interesting to read the other side of the coin here, that Nato kept expanding eastwards.  

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-02-24/Chinese-FM-holds-phone-conversation-with-Russian-FM-Lavrov-17UV2UChaJq/index.html

I think we're well and truly back to cold war times now.

And to be honest - I have some sympathy for putin - but he is still clearly the aggressor here. No one will win that’s a sure fact.

The superstate EU could do with carefully considering the impacts their policies have had over the last 20 years or so in  the raising of tensions to this position we now find ourselves in.

Thankfully Tony Blair is no longer in charge.

[Mark Blanchard]

My guess China will be sniffing around Taiwan next.

41 minutes ago, Barrykearley said:

Thankfully Tony Blair is no longer in charge.

Yes we've got someone much more sensible thank goodness.

 

[march]

The UK, US, EU and NATO response has also appalled me. Putin will be riding bare chested around Kyiv on his little pony before the west does anything meaningful - By then Ukraine will be a distant memory and all that will be left will be a few Ukrainian flags posted up on Facebook so people can feel they have done something. Absolutely shameful.

Just wait - China will be after Taiwan next.

[andydclements]

Possibly the safest place for him (or safest for us).

[Chillidoggy]

[Mark Blanchard]

[yeller77]

2 hours ago, march said:

Just wait - China will be after Taiwan next.

Would not be surprised if there was a little "don't get in our way and we won't get in yours" at the last Putin-Xi photo op love fest. 🤔

[phil flash]

3 hours ago, march said:

.... Putin will be riding bare chested around Kyiv on his little pony ...

Let's hope he challenges the Mayor of Kyiv to a fist fight then .. 

[Barrykearley]

[Redwing]

I am surprised by the lack of outrage on here for what is happening in Ukraine.

[Bibs]

I'd imagine most people are still in shock that Putin has actually gone ahead with it despite global condemnation. Would be nice if someone could get close to him with a sniper rifle, even a large number of Russian politicians have said they don't agree with the invasion and it's him alone leading this all. 

[Barrykearley]

35 minutes ago, Redwing said:

I am surprised by the lack of outrage on here for what is happening in Ukraine.

What he’s doing is disgusting chap - the entire world seem sadly unwilling and/or unable to do anything for fear of a nuke strike.

all Russian assets should be seized now worldwide 

[C8RKH]

23 hours ago, basalte said:

Errr… Corbyn called yesterday for Russian troops to leave the occupied areas …but of course the Mail spins even that as anti -West . The least trusted newspaper in Britain . 

And Corbyn is one of the least trusted politicians in Britain. But then, these days, it's very hard to trust any politician.

[C8RKH]

13 hours ago, LotusLeftLotusRight said:

I reckon it will be all over within a few days. I don’t think the Ukrainian army will put up much of a defence, especially if they have already lost air superiority. They’ll be sitting ducks. Amazing really in this day and age that it can be so simple to invade another country.

Remember the 6 day war between Israel and Egypt in the early 70's?  Pre-emptive strike by Israeli Air Force practically wiped out the whole Egyptian air force whilst it was on the ground.

Element of surprise is an amazingly devastating advantage, used to great effect by the Germans at the start of WW2 and the Japanese of course with Pearl Harbour.

PH was an attack of brutal and definitive action but one of the biggest military mistakes ever made as it woke the bear and brought it into the war.

The West lost the initiative when we rolled over and went back to sleep after Putin walked into Crimea. It was a pre-cursor to this and one of the three main routes into Ukraine now.

[basalte]

Russian donations to the Conservative Party 2011-2020. 

£2,955,928.00

And hey presto  it’s “ ooooh look over at that Corbyn!” from the Telegraph brigade …

Lets see whether the wallets close now eh ?