The Russia-Ukraine war thread

[Tiffany]

I really shouldn't be laughing, it's tragic for someone to be jettisoned out a window in a defenestration manner....but....once again, I was glad I wasn't having a sip of tea. 🫣

 

[Arantor]

Sadly I don't think there's a vaccine for it, but proper safety installation and equipment can be fitted to restrict the spread.

 

[Arizona]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspicious_deaths_of_Russian_businesspeople_(2022–2023)

In December 2022, The Atlantic labeled the phenomenon "Sudden Russian Death Syndrome"

Friends and families of the deceased Russian businessmen generally found it "unthinkable" that they killed themselves – and in some cases also their wives and children – and have demanded an independent investigation into the mysterious deaths.

 

[Arizona]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/02/22/ukraine-putin-nukes-zelensky/

"We should expect the future of Europe to be defined by a new Cold War with Ukraine on the front line, NATO right behind it and a long wait for a post-Soviet Russia to come to its senses."

 

[Arizona]

The world after the Ukraine war

Another senseless war started by a superpower is wrecking the world.

www.aljazeera.com

It is a rigged global system that favours the powerful against the powerless – one that will, in all likelihood, lead to more countries pursuing a nuclear deterrent to fend for themselves. It is no wonder, many reckon Ukraine was naïve to give up its Soviet-era nukes in 1994, in return for international assurances, including Russian and American security assurances, under the Budapest Memorandum.

More countries like Iran, Japan, and South Korea may follow in the footsteps of Pakistan, India, North Korea, and Israel, by going nuclear, trampling over non-proliferation efforts. International security has been further strained by Russian invocation of nuclear war, lapsed nuclear treaties, and the US secretly modernising nuclear weapons deployed to five NATO countries.

 

[Retro]

Oh man, that's really depressing. IMO WW3 started when Russia attacked Ukraine and is escalating all the time. The rough times we're currently experiencing could be nothing compared to what may come. And all because of a very tiny handful of despotic psychopaths ruining it for everyone.

 

[Arantor]

And all because of a very tiny handful of despotic psychopaths ruining it for everyone.

Isn't that how it's always been though? We've always been at war with Eurasia.

 

[Retro]

Yes, they've been doing that throughout the ages. Would be epic if the West could just crush Putin once and for all.

One of the previous leaders (Gorbachev?) was leading the country down a more progressive path, then this guy came in and wrecked it.

 

[Retro]

Today is the horrible anniversary of this terrible war.

Slow claps all round for Putin.

 

[Retro]

Of course it's condemned, one would expect nothing less. Indeed, it's had lots of support from the West, or it would have been invaded by now and become part of Russia. Then, Putin, the despot, would invade the other Eastern European countries of course, to try and restore the old Soviet Union.

This war is the source of quite a bit of stress for me, I tell you. It really doesn't sit well with me and I truly hate it.

Ukraine war: UN condemns Russian invasion ahead of anniversary

The resolution is approved by 141 countries, with just seven - including Russia - opposing it.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Tiffany]

Of course it's condemned, one would expect nothing less. Indeed, it's had lots of support from the West, or it would have been invaded by now and become part of Russia. Then, Putin, the despot, would invade the other Eastern European countries of course, to try and restore the old Soviet Union.

This war is the source of quite a bit of stress for me, I tell you. It really doesn't sit well with me and I truly hate it.

Ukraine war: UN condemns Russian invasion ahead of anniversary

The resolution is approved by 141 countries, with just seven - including Russia - opposing it.

www.bbc.co.uk

Your US friends across America are stressed for Europe's safety too! Wish this would end, but instead it keeps escalating.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64748349
The UN General Assembly in New York has overwhelmingly backed a resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine nearly a year ago.
It called for the withdrawal of troops from Ukraine and a halt to fighting.
The motion was backed by 141 nations with 32 abstaining and seven - including Russia - voting against.

Words mean nothing without action. How easy it is to sit in a safe, climate controlled environment and "condemn" Russia, while real people are suffering.

 

[Retro]

It's great to see the West united against this despot. I'm including Australia here, too.

Words mean nothing without action. How easy it is to sit in a safe, climate controlled environment and "condemn" Russia, while real people are suffering.

Yeah, funny that. In general, whenever I hear some official "condemning" something, it sounds like so much empty rhetoric. It's then confirmed when there's sod all follow up.

 

[Arantor]

Biden actually going to Kyiv was a bold and unexpected move though.

 

[Retro]

Yeah, I think he took quite a risk to to do it, too. I was very surprised to see him there. This article describes exactly how he did it and the perfect secrecy surrounding it. It just seems stupid to me to reveal all here as it will just make that railway a target for the Russians and others who want to do harm.

‘Rail Force One’: how Ukraine railways got Joe Biden safely to Kyiv

Alexander Kamyshin, head of the service, doesn’t get much sleep, but his team coordinated the president’s visit without a single leak

www.theguardian.com

 

[Tiffany]

Interesting article on Rail Force One and how it's used....I agree though, now everyone knows about it.

 

[Retro]

So, the International Criminal Court has decided to issue an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes. While it sounds great in principle, in practice it's more of a symbolic gesture as it's unenforceable. It does actually stop him from going to countries where he'd be arrested though, but he's got no reason to go there anyway, so it's futile and he's hardly gonna get arrested in Russia when he runs that country!

Putin arrest warrant: Biden welcomes ICC's war crimes charges

The International Criminal Court accuses the Russian leader of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children.

www.bbc.co.uk

Watch: Can Putin actually be arrested?

BBC correspondents Anna Holligan and Steve Rosenberg on the difficulties of detaining a president.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Retro]

The other day, I watched a documentary called Ukraine from the Air. This showed the progress of the war mostly from the perspective of drones and other aircraft, comparing before and after pictures and video. However, after they showed a civilian get shot and killed in cold blood, I couldn't watch it anymore. This effectively became a snuff movie and I wish I could unsee it.

 

[Retro]

The whistleblower gets it in the neck.

Ukrainian commander reveals true scale of losses – and pays the price

Ukraine has demoted a top battlefield commander after he admitted his unit had been decimated in fighting around the city of Bakhmut.

uk.news.yahoo.com

 

[Arizona]

From a week ago:

https://carnegieendowment.org/politika/89226

"Paradoxically, the Kremlin believes de-escalation is unacceptable and constantly announces its radical intentions in the media and through massive public gatherings. Yet its actual steps are nowhere near as radical as expected by either its supporters or adversaries."

"Meanwhile, Ukraine and its international partners continue to look for Russia’s vulnerabilities. One way of forcing Moscow to make mistakes is deliberately trying to push it to take radical new steps. This is perhaps how the Russian authorities saw U.S. President Joe Biden’s trip to Kyiv on February 20, as well as the attack on a Belarusian military airport on February 26. Such events present the Kremlin with a tough choice. A lack of reaction will be interpreted as a sign of weakness, while spontaneous retaliation means falling into the opponent’s trap."

 

[Uncrowned]

So, the International Criminal Court has decided to issue an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes. While it sounds great in principle, in practice it's more of a symbolic gesture as it's unenforceable. It does actually stop him from going to countries where he'd be arrested though, but he's got no reason to go there anyway, so it's futile and he's hardly gonna get arrested in Russia when he runs that country!

I'd actually be curious as to how many of the countries that follow the ICC would actually arrest him during a visit. Plus, what would be the end result for the Russian side, as it would be hard to sit back and let your leader go to jail?

 

[Retro]

I'd actually be curious as to how many of the countries that follow the ICC would actually arrest him during a visit. Plus, what would be the end result for the Russian side, as it would be hard to sit back and let your leader go to jail?

It's possible that the smaller countries at least, would feel too intimidated by Russia to actually arrest him, perhaps fearing triggering a WW3 scenario. This is a very tricky and ugly situation, fully caused by Putin.

 

[Uncrowned]

It's possible that the smaller countries at least, would feel too intimidated by Russia to actually arrest him, perhaps fearing triggering a WW3 scenario. This is a very tricky and ugly situation, fully caused by Putin.

True, it would be great to see the Russians throw him in prison, but that does not seem all too likely even with everything going on.

 

[Arizona]

A lot of Americans (including myself) are fed up with the US continuing to send more money/weapons to Ukraine when Ukraine is not interested in ending the war. We still have our own problems (children going hungry, deaths of despair, higher infant mortality, spotty healthcare, etc). The US always has federal money for weapons but less so for healthcare.

At some point, Ukraine seems more interested in its national ego and getting relatively worthless land back -- worthless compared to the wellbeing of fellow Ukrainians.

US diplomat on what it's like negotiating with Putin

John Sullivan, the former US ambassador to Russia, says talks to prevent the war were "a charade".

www.bbc.com

"The Ukrainian people aren't going to forgive and forget. Even if President Zelenksy wanted to end the war, wanted to make territorial concessions, basically wanted to surrender, the Ukrainian people wouldn't let him."

A Ukrainian Philosopher’s Reluctant Departure from Kharkiv

Irina Zherebkina, who spent the first year of the war under bombardment in Kharkiv, still believes that peace must be imagined into being.

www.newyorker.com

"Zelensky is living in a state of terror, and facing an impossible choice. He cannot choose to negotiate because he must submit to the will of the people, who want to keep fighting the war. Irina believes that peace must be made, imagined into being. Even at a gathering of feminist thinkers, this was not a popular statement."

 

[Crims]

Recap.

 

[Retro]

Ukraine is not interested in ending the war.

When you say ending the war, do you mean conceding the country to Russia? I'll reply further when I understand your viewpoint better. You certainly know mine from my many posts in this thread.