dublinpilot wrote:
That I understand. But if the Rupple collapses and people lose their jobs and savings, it no longer matters what the TV is telling them. They might not protest the war but they will protest what is happening to them. People with nothing left to lose don’t fear arrest.
No, people will just blame West for all their problems. Easy!
How plausible is the idea that Western forces are operating covertly within the Ukraine as discussed earlier?
I would have thought it inevitable that sooner or later a NATO aircraft would be downed, or Anglophone troops captured, and that this would probably drag us into the conflict, which would be too much to risk.
Snoopy wrote:
If VP wanted, he could order to annihilate UKR from afar with guided ordinance and then just walk in and call for „elections“ to change the structures of power.
He couldn’t really because of his rhetoric that Ukraine is the birthplace of Russia etc.
Its not just rhetoric. There is a town, which is now under attack, in the Ukraine whose name gave rise to Russia.IOW Russia was names after the town.
So on a historical basis you might argue that Russia and Ukraine should be united under Zelensky’s leadership?
A “historical basis” does not work because borders have changed over the centuries. Where would Czechoslovakia be, for example? 
Which date would you choose for the rollback?
The argument that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a “bad thing” is simple:
I am amazed at the West’s response. It did nothing after Crimea…
kwlf wrote:
How plausible is the idea that Western forces are operating covertly within the Ukraine as discussed earlier?I would have thought it inevitable that sooner or later a NATO aircraft would be downed, or Anglophone troops captured, and that this would probably drag us into the conflict, which would be too much to risk.
I think it’s probably a risk they take. Putin can hardly cry foul, given his record of putting Russian forces where they are not officially supposed to be and brazening it out – remember the Russian forces who were in Crimea “on vacation” in 2014? NATO can certainly get involved here – it just can’t say it’s getting involved.
In any case I doubt that the Russians have any technology that could even see an F-22 or an F-35, let alone shoot them down. With an overcast sky or at night, the only clue will be Russian stuff exploding regularly. The Russians probably realise what’s going on but are not in a position to squeal that it isn’t fair, especially if they have no evidence.
Quite possibly mad little Vlad’s nuclear threats yesterday were a response to his military leaders telling him that they suspect/believe the US are getting involved.
Also, since when is it standard tactics to give the enemy time to build a really strong moral, paramilitary structures, arm civilians etc..?
It’s definitely standard tactics to probe the resistance. If it was the right tactics remains to be seen. Obviously Putin does not want to remove Ukraine from the face of the earth. He just want to insert a friendly government.
With an overcast sky or at night, the only clue will be Russian stuff exploding regularly
According to the news, Ukraine has Turkish made attack drones.
Peter wrote:
It did nothing after Crimea…
It did not have time react. And everything there was well prepared in advance. Also as far as I understand there was a major part of the Crimea’s population “true” russian. This is totally different now with the Ukraine as a whole.
I think Putin really believed what he was telling. He really thought that politicians were only “puppets”, and that most if not all Ukrainians sought to be “freed” by Russia. And that all of the “war” was only to show presence and to make the “puppets” flee.
Not.
And now things turn out to be a lot different. Well organized soldiers with tanks and all their arms are shooting at civilians protecting their lifes, their way of life, their freedom. Russian soldiers, who regard Ukrainians as brothers and sisters. I truly believe that it’s not the people who they want to shoot and kill.
I don’t think that this war will last long, before the russian people wearing those military clothes stop shooting. These are no warkids, and they won’t start to slaughter the People of Ukraine.
And this is when things might get really on fire, because I don’t think that Putin is a good sportsman when losing such a mess might start to rise on the horizon.
The problem is, if you take out Putin, his successor is cut from exactly the same cloth.
Or perhaps not. There was a video the Russians put out of their chief spy answering Putin’s questions. The guy’s voice is trembling, and he has that stiffness of movement of someone who is abjectly terrified. His inner circle is likely ruled by fear, and it’s probably about as safe to be around Putin as it is a watering hole during crocodile season.
