The War starts Putin announces "Military Operation" in Ukraine. Explosions heard in Kyiv

[WJ99mobile]

They’ve restricted visa and Mastercard in Russia and the Rouble is down quite a lot.

I wonder how the normal folk of Russia are coping

[Organ Morgan.]

Biden has struck again. Only days after suggesting Ukraine is full of Iranians, he now believes Putin is invading Russia!

We had all better hope the doddering fogie doesn't mistake the button that operates his stairlift for the big red one which has 'Launch Nukes' written on it.

“How did we get to the place where, you know, Putin just decides he’s gonna invade *RUSSIA*? Something like this hasn’t happened since World War 2.” - Joe “Potato Head” Biden.

Video: https://twitter.com/MrsT106/status/1499882430668619780

[A Quiet Monkfish]

Biden has struck again. Only days after suggesting Ukraine is full of Iranians, he now believes Putin is invading Russia!

We had all better hope the doddering fogie doesn't mistake the button that operates his stairlift for the big red one which has 'Launch Nukes' written on it.

“How did we get to the place where, you know, Putin just decides he’s gonna invade *RUSSIA*? Something like this hasn’t happened since World War 2.” - Joe “Potato Head” Biden.

Video: https://twitter.com/MrsT106/status/1499882430668619780

He got it 50% right.

[William Treseder]

He got it 50% right.

FFS. It’s scary to think he’s one of the most powerful people in the world.

[WJ99mobile]

Just had a BBC breaking news alert through my phone saying over 1.5 million have fled Ukraine as refugees making it out to be an astonishing number. (Which it is)

To me it’s more astonishing that if figures are correct 97% of the population have remained.

Does this mean a prolonged and bigger war is likely? 42m Ukrainians fighting isn’t no small obstacle.

[Raymond Holt]

Just had a BBC breaking news alert through my phone saying over 1.5 million have fled Ukraine as refugees making it out to be an astonishing number. (Which it is)

To me it’s more astonishing that if figures are correct 97% of the population have remained.

Does this mean a prolonged and bigger war is likely? 42m Ukrainians fighting isn’t no small obstacle.

It seems to me that this has been the NATO plan all along. Tempt Russia into a war that it can’t really win in a huge territory against a relatively strong military backed by a stream of weapons from the West. The West has thrown Ukraine under the bus, knowing this war could bog both countries down for years. The war also giving the West their moral justification to impose sanctions, thus weakening Russia on two fronts.

[MOZZER2]

They’ve restricted visa and Mastercard in Russia and the Rouble is down quite a lot.

I wonder how the normal folk of Russia are coping

as predicted Russia is now switching to a chinese card system

https://www.reuters.com/business/fin...em-2022-03-06/

[lardy]

It seems to me that this has been the NATO plan all along. Tempt Russia into a war that it can’t really win in a huge territory against a relatively strong military backed by a stream of weapons from the West. The West has thrown Ukraine under the bus, knowing this war could bog both countries down for years. The war also giving the West their moral justification to impose sanctions, thus weakening Russia on two fronts.

Maybe it'll make some people feel better to think that, and that NATO has been in full control all along.

But no.

[xsnaggle]

It seems to me that this has been the NATO plan all along. Tempt Russia into a war that it can’t really win in a huge territory against a relatively strong military backed by a stream of weapons from the West. The West has thrown Ukraine under the bus, knowing this war could bog both countries down for years. The war also giving the West their moral justification to impose sanctions, thus weakening Russia on two fronts.

If you believe for one moment that NATO actually has 'A Plan', any plan, then I'm afraid you're sadly deluded.

[goats]

It seems to me that this has been the NATO plan all along. Tempt Russia into a war that it can’t really win in a huge territory against a relatively strong military backed by a stream of weapons from the West. The West has thrown Ukraine under the bus, knowing this war could bog both countries down for years. The war also giving the West their moral justification to impose sanctions, thus weakening Russia on two fronts.

Tempted Russia into a war?

[Dave Blue]

It seems to me that this has been the NATO plan all along. Tempt Russia into a war that it can’t really win in a huge territory against a relatively strong military backed by a stream of weapons from the West. The West has thrown Ukraine under the bus, knowing this war could bog both countries down for years. The war also giving the West their moral justification to impose sanctions, thus weakening Russia on two fronts.

I know these Russian bots are everywhere but I didn’t expect one to turn up on CCMB.

[life on mars]

We could burn witches again, too.

Which ones

[Sloop_Jon_Bee]

It seems to me that this has been the NATO plan all along. Tempt Russia into a war that it can’t really win in a huge territory against a relatively strong military backed by a stream of weapons from the West. The West has thrown Ukraine under the bus, knowing this war could bog both countries down for years. The war also giving the West their moral justification to impose sanctions, thus weakening Russia on two fronts.

Good post. Some of it certainly not beyond the realms of possibility. I don't think NATO tempted it, but certainly did not try to prevent it..
Spedger

[Wales-Bales]

They’ve restricted visa and Mastercard in Russia and the Rouble is down quite a lot.

I wonder how the normal folk of Russia are coping

Already moving to Unionpay which is larger than Mastercard and growing fast.

https://www.reuters.com/business/fin...em-2022-03-06/

[goats]

Which ones

Rhymes with Bolt

[Gofer Blue]

Thousands of anti-war protestors arrested today in cities all over Russia today. Brave people. Surely there must be a limit as to how many the police can cope with if tens of thousands were to turn out in each of the 53 cities?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60640204

[goats]

Thousands of anti-war protestors arrested today in cities all over Russia today. Brave people. Surely there must be a limit as to how many the police can cope with if tens of thousands were to turn out in each of the 53 cities?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60640204

Yep they can’t lock them all up…if China would get off the fence also the world would be a nicer place

[blue matt]

Yep they can’t lock them all up…if China would get off the fence also the world would be a nicer place

The worrying this is though they can lock them all up as soon as someone ( in Russia ) asks the questions they are gone aswell

what a place to live

[Wales-Bales]

German TV Shows Nazi Symbols on Helmets of Ukraine Soldiers

https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/uk...ldiers-n198961

[jon1959]

German TV Shows Nazi Symbols on Helmets of Ukraine Soldiers

https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/uk...ldiers-n198961

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azov_Battalion

I don't know why a neo-Nazi militia was incorporated into the Ukranian army - seems like a propaganda gift to Putin.

But they number less than 2% of the Ukranian army. They are part of the story, but a small part.

[cyril evans awaydays]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azov_Battalion

I don't know why a neo-Nazi militia was incorporated into the Ukranian army - seems like a propaganda gift to Putin.

But they number less than 2% of the Ukranian army. They are part of the story, but a small part.

Agreed they have an unpalatable past and still seem to have some extremely dubious traits given the opening paragraph on their current composition in this article of two days ago.

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/w...zi/9368016002/

No mention of nazi paraphanalia but as the other article posted for some reason was 8 years old that perhaps is not surprising!

[blue matt]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azov_Battalion

I don't know why a neo-Nazi militia was incorporated into the Ukranian army - seems like a propaganda gift to Putin.

But they number less than 2% of the Ukranian army. They are part of the story, but a small part.

its no secret the the azov battalion was formed by a group of " football hooligans " ( who appeared to be right wing ) and right wing / nationalist politicians ( Ross Kemp did program on them a few years back )

But lets be honest, East Europe countries have issues with the right wing, a lot of the " Ultra's " align themselves with the far right , this isn't just a Azov batt problem, its a problem the region has

The Azov has now moved on a little, they appear to be foreign fighters who have fought the Russians around Mariupol, when Ross did his program the Ukrainian army was very under-funded and the azoz batt was much better equipped and funded

[Harry Paget Flashman]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azov_Battalion

I don't know why a neo-Nazi militia was incorporated into the Ukranian army - seems like a propaganda gift to Putin.

But they number less than 2% of the Ukranian army. They are part of the story, but a small part.

There's a portion of every army that has ultra right wing thinking arseholes.

[the other bob wilson]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azov_Battalion

I don't know why a neo-Nazi militia was incorporated into the Ukranian army - seems like a propaganda gift to Putin.

But they number less than 2% of the Ukranian army. They are part of the story, but a small part.

Think it’s very hard to see this war in straightforward left and right terms. Having grown up thinking that the Cold War was a case of left versus right, I find it impossible to place such simplistic definitions this time and was, almost certainly, wrong to do so thirty and forty years ago. It seems to me that those most sympathetic to Putin and anti NATO can be found on the extremes of the political right and left and, whatever the merits of the various claims about Russian influence in Brexit and the 2016 American election, I think it’s safe to say that Putin favoured the more right wing option. Conversely, especially given Trump’s comments on the situation just before the Russian invasion began, it would not surprise me in the least if many of the “patriots” that overran the White House last year are pro Putin and Russia in the current situation.

It was probably ever so, but, for me, this in a conflict between two sides with plenty of blood on their hands, plenty of decisions made against what I’ll naively call the public good and with flawed people at the head of them - the difference for me is that I see only one leader who comes across as a psychopath who I could easily imagine pressing the nuclear button.

It seems to me that “the West” have allowed this situation to develop through a combination of complacency and a desire for a “quiet life” - I make no great claims regarding my insight when it comes to Putin, but I fail to see how any Western leader could not see this coming, the signs that it was were pretty clear after all. The only surprise for me has been how quickly we’ve come to this and the degree to which Putin has gambled his future on Ukraine - it almost makes me believe those claims that he may be seriously ill or dying.

[A Quiet Monkfish]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azov_Battalion

I don't know why a neo-Nazi militia was incorporated into the Ukranian army - seems like a propaganda gift to Putin.

But they number less than 2% of the Ukranian army. They are part of the story, but a small part.

Maybe, but however wicked and evil Putin's actions against Ukraine are, I refuse to join in the Ukraine love-in. Zelenski came to power in Ukraine on the back of USA and the West's involvement. He's banned newspapers and media that criticizes him, and in the eastern regions the ethnic Russian speakers are being forcibly subsumed into the Ukrainian culture. As for the Nazi bit, when the SS wanted the cruelest, most brutal 'overseers' in the concentration camps, they turned to the Ukrainians. I'm desperately sorry for their plight, but they ain't the nicest of people collectively.