Ukraine

[MPH]

One thing to consider… The Russian request to the UN for examining biological activity in the Ukraine.. yes it might be a prelude to  justifying using their own biological weapons… and it might be a cover story for why biological material is found in the area “ it wasn’t us, it’s evidence of the Ukrainian use of WMD against us”.. but it might also be a way , on the home front , of saving face and explaining why the war is going so slowly and not  to plan. they can’t possibly admit it’s because they are tactically inept and ill equipped or are facing a strong defense… it will have to be because the opposition are violating international standards for war.

 

 

The likelihood though is that it’s a mixture of all three…

[marbles]

They strike again

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/anonymous-hacks-russian-federal-agency-releases-360-000-documents/ar-AAUTuvp

[nnfox]

2 hours ago, marbles said:

They strike again

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/anonymous-hacks-russian-federal-agency-releases-360-000-documents/ar-AAUTuvp

They are doing great work!

[st albans fox]

5 hours ago, MPH said:

One thing to consider… The Russian request to the UN for examining biological activity in the Ukraine.. yes it might be a prelude to  justifying using their own biological weapons… and it might be a cover story for why biological material is found in the area “ it wasn’t us, it’s evidence of the Ukrainian use of WMD against us”.. but it might also be a way , on the home front , of saving face and explaining why the war is going so slowly and not  to plan. they can’t possibly admit it’s because they are tactically inept and ill equipped or are facing a strong defense… it will have to be because the opposition are violating international standards for war.

 

 

The likelihood though is that it’s a mixture of all three…

They wouldn’t be doing something at the UN if they hadn’t concocted a pretty convincing case - and putting to the UNSC means that their false flag event will have gravitas …..of course USA, U.K. and france all playing their veto will give them diplomatic equivalence for the resolution that they vetoed couple weeks ago. 
 

 

[yorkie1999]

That starstreak system looks a bit tasty, the government should give us all one for the back garden just in case the russian jets start flying over.

[David Hankey]

10 hours ago, Carl the Llama said:

I think of all places in the world, we're probably one with the least rights to ask how a country can do nothing about deceitful heads of state.  If we can't even get rid of Boris over his many inappropriate acts as an MP and subsequently PM, what chance would we have if he was a scary, murderous mob boss to boot?

The difference being, of course, is that we have free and fair elections which Russia don't have.

[Saigon Fox]

13 hours ago, David Hankey said:

I don't feel sorry for the Russians at all. With a population of 140M+ and led by a madmen what are they doing internally to allow him to continue his murderous ways?

You keep posting stuff like this. It's very blinkered. I have many Russian friends and colleagues, having worked there for the last 2 years. What is happening in Ukraine does not represent them but they are frightened of recriminations should they protest. It will take millions in the streets to make a difference otherwise they will just keep being picked off. The Russians I know are scared, confused and, frankly, embarrassed. Please David, stop tarring them all. 

[The Guvnor]

Listening to Frank Gardner on breakfast tv he suggested that Putin was expecting a reasonably simple operation in the Ukraine primarily from the FSB and other advisors.He also spoke about Putins health, his fear of Covid, and his self isolation since the covid outbreak.

Well if Franks summation is correct it has obviously thrown Putin a massive curved ball, throw into the mix that Kyiv has massive historical and spiritual significance to both Russians and Ukranians. The chemical weapon claim by Russia is particularly worrying as it would be a way now for Putin to remove Ukranians from Kyiv without damaging the sacred infrastructure.

 The use use of chemical weapons has the potential to put a whole new dimension on this war which would then become exceptionally worrying.

 

 

 

[ClaphamFox]

1 hour ago, The Guvnor said:

Listening to Frank Gardner on breakfast tv he suggested that Putin was expecting a reasonably simple operation in the Ukraine primarily from the FSB and other advisors.He also spoke about Putins health, his fear of Covid, and his self isolation since the covid outbreak.

Well if Franks summation is correct it has obviously thrown Putin a massive curved ball, throw into the mix that Kyiv has massive historical and spiritual significance to both Russians and Ukranians. The chemical weapon claim by Russia is particularly worrying as it would be a way now for Putin to remove Ukranians from Kyiv without damaging the sacred infrastructure.

 The use use of chemical weapons has the potential to put a whole new dimension on this war which would then become exceptionally worrying.

 

 

 

It has been suggested a few times by supposed 'insiders' at the Kremlin that Putin's advisors, including the FSB, only tell Putin what they think he wants to hear because they're terrified of displeasing him. That's what happens when one man rigs the system to ensure he rules a country for over two decades, and in doing so consolidates his power to such an extent that he ends up ruling by fear. If the FSB is too scared to give Putin an honest analysis of the difficulty of invading another country, no wonder the idiot tricked himself into thinking it would be simple.

Edited 11 March 2022 by ClaphamFox

[davieG]

This was on my Facebook page.

 

Jolene O'Dell

For my friends that may not know...
🇺🇦 At the entrance to the memorial park in Kyiv, there is a sculpture of an extremely thin girl with a very sad look holding a handful of wheat in her hands. Behind her back is the Candle of Remembrance. This monument commemorates the Holodomor.
What is the Holodomor?
After the end of the First World War, Ukraine was an independent state, but in 1919 the Soviet Union "sucked" it into the community of Soviet states. The Ukrainians considered themselves a Central European country, like Poland, and not an Eastern European country like Russia. They tried to restore Ukraine's independence.
In 1932, not wanting to lose control of Europe's main source of grain, Stalin took away the grain-producing land from the Ukrainian peasants and also all the grain, creating an artificial famine. The goal was to "teach Ukrainians to be smart" so that they would no longer oppose Moscow. The people who produced the most grain in Europe were left without a crumb of bread.
The peak of the Holodomor was in the spring of 1933. In Ukraine at that time, 17 people died of hunger every minute, more than 1,000 every hour, and almost 24,500 every day! People were literally starving to death in the streets.
Stalin settled Russians into the emptied Ukrainian villages. During the next census, there was a huge shortage of population. Therefore, the Soviet government annulled the census, destroyed the census documents, and the census takers were shot or sent to the gulag, in order to hide the truth.
Today, 28 countries around the world present the Holodomor as genocide against Ukrainians. You couldn't learn about in school because almost all evidence was destroyed and victims were covered up for decades. To this day mass graves are being uncovered.
Books are now being written. Movies are now being made.
The Holodomor at that time broke the Ukrainian resistance, but it made the desire for Ukraine's independence from Russia eternal.

[David Hankey]

3 hours ago, Saigon Fox said:

You keep posting stuff like this. It's very blinkered. I have many Russian friends and colleagues, having worked there for the last 2 years. What is happening in Ukraine does not represent them but they are frightened of recriminations should they protest. It will take millions in the streets to make a difference otherwise they will just keep being picked off. The Russians I know are scared, confused and, frankly, embarrassed. Please David, stop tarring them all. 

You will accept we are all, even you, have an opinion. The fact remains that one man appears to have a stranglehold on his own people and suppresses them at every touch and turn and is not adverse to killing his own countrymen. So, why, with a population of in excess of 140M is there not a groundswell of opinion to topple him?

I'm sorry you don't share what you considered a "blinkered view" but I wonder if you have ever asked the same question?

[SpacedX]

2 hours ago, ClaphamFox said:

It has been suggested a few times by supposed 'insiders' at the Kremlin that Putin's advisors, including the FSB, only tell Putin what they think he wants to hear because they're terrified of displeasing him. That's what happens when one man rigs the system to ensure he rules a country for over two decades, and in doing so consolidates his power to such an extent that he ends up ruling by fear. If the FSB is too scared to give Putin an honest analysis of the difficulty of invading another country, no wonder the idiot tricked himself into thinking it would be simple.

Certainly the chain of command in the 'Potemkin Military' have misled him, and there has undoubtedly been bad counsel from his intelligence service/economic advisers, but I would suggest that it's actually far worse than the picture you paint. His 'siloviki' - Bortnikov, Naryshkin (who like Putin are ex-Leningrad KGB  officers), Patrushev and Shoigu are not only fiercely loyal but born from precisely the same hardline ideology. Far from being 'yes-men', it is likely they are actively reinforcing his obsessions and stoking his ambitions. Granted - the colour seemed to drain from Shoigi's face when his President announced the state of high nuclear alert almost a fortnight ago and I posted that footage of Naryshkin's briefing in which he looked like he was about to piss his pants in terror. That element of fear is undoubtedly there - but that's what dictators breed. 

[Zear0]

13 minutes ago, Line-X said:

Certainly the chain of command in the 'Potemkin Military' have misled him, and there has undoubtedly been bad counsel from his intelligence service/economic advisers, but I would suggest that it's actually far worse than the picture you paint. His 'siloviki' - Bortnikov, Naryshkin (who like Putin are ex-Leningrad KGB  officers), Patrushev and Shoigu are not only fiercely loyal but born from precisely the same hardline ideology. Far from being 'yes-men', it is likely they are actively reinforcing his obsessions and stoking his ambitions. Granted - the colour seemed to drain from Shoigi's face when his President announced the state of high nuclear alert almost a fortnight ago and I posted that footage of Naryshkin's briefing in which he looked like he was about to piss his pants in terror. That element of fear is undoubtedly there - but that's what dictators breed. 

Better to be feared than loved... 

[SkidsFox]

16 hours ago, Carl the Llama said:

Wow that is huge if true.

The chances of anything published nowadays in the Telegraph being correct, are fairly slim. But we can hope...

[String fellow]

2 hours ago, Zear0 said:

Better to be feared than loved... 

Think I'd rather be loved than feared! Btw, it seems to me that those cretins at Chelsea chanting the name of Putin's buddy should also face sanctions - maybe banning them from the club.

Edited 11 March 2022 by String fellow

[Leicesterpool]

Little difference it may make but could Ukraine's paint words in Russian on top of buildings which say Hospital and School. For the pilots to see. 

[Countryfox]

16 minutes ago, Leicesterpool said:

Little difference it may make but could Ukraine's paint words in Russian on top of buildings which say Hospital and School. For the pilots to see. 

Probably think it was a trick and bomb them anyway .. 

[David Hankey]

7 hours ago, Saigon Fox said:

You keep posting stuff like this. It's very blinkered. I have many Russian friends and colleagues, having worked there for the last 2 years. What is happening in Ukraine does not represent them but they are frightened of recriminations should they protest. It will take millions in the streets to make a difference otherwise they will just keep being picked off. The Russians I know are scared, confused and, frankly, embarrassed. Please David, stop tarring them all. 

Do you Russian friends and colleagues consider this war? Do they even admit to the word invasion?

[MPH]

3 hours ago, David Hankey said:

You will accept we are all, even you, have an opinion. The fact remains that one man appears to have a stranglehold on his own people and suppresses them at every touch and turn and is not adverse to killing his own countrymen. So, why, with a population of in excess of 140M is there not a groundswell of opinion to topple him?

I'm sorry you don't share what you considered a "blinkered view" but I wonder if you have ever asked the same question?

 

hes already answered your question? THAT is why he’s calling it a blinkered view- you’re not listening to what he’s saying.

 

 

 

Besides, it easy to be telling people what they should be doing when you are not the one having a gun pointed at you, having your friends beaten for protesting or even having some of them disappear..

[ClaphamFox]

22 minutes ago, Leicesterpool said:

Little difference it may make but could Ukraine's paint words in Russian on top of buildings which say Hospital and School. For the pilots to see. 

Wouldn’t that just make it easier for Russian bombers to target hospitals and schools?

[David Hankey]

10 minutes ago, MPH said:

 

hes already answered your question? THAT is why he’s calling it a blinkered view- you’re not listening to what he’s saying.

 

 

 

Besides, it easy to be telling people what they should be doing when you are not the one having a gun pointed at you, having your friends beaten for protesting or even having some of them disappear..

Thanks for your input.

[MPH]

Now I know Putin is not a member of the communist party but he definitely has leanings in that direction.

 

 

he’s been on record as saying that the break up of the Soviet Union was  one of modern era’s greatest catastrophe…

 

and now we have this..

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has likened Western sanctions on banks and oligarchs to a declaration of war. Moscow has also threatened to nationalise production plants or factories where work has been suspended.

 

 

Now this statement above is not tantamount  to communism in of itself, of course… it probably shows he has  socialist leanings of course. Now I know one of the comebacks will be that he’s just doing that  to keep the country and it’s economy ticking over, however my reply to that would “ do people honestly think he’ll return all the equipment and factories to their original owners upon conclusion of the war and eventual  lifting of sanctions?”

[String fellow]

18 minutes ago, MPH said:

Now I know Putin is not a member of the communist party but he definitely has leanings in that direction.

 

 

he’s been on record as saying that the break up of the Soviet Union was  one of modern era’s greatest catastrophe…

 

and now we have this..

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has likened Western sanctions on banks and oligarchs to a declaration of war. Moscow has also threatened to nationalise production plants or factories where work has been suspended.

 

 

Now this statement above is not tantamount  to communism in of itself, of course… it probably shows he has  socialist leanings of course. Now I know one of the comebacks will be that he’s just doing that  to keep the country and it’s economy ticking over, however my reply to that would “ do people honestly think he’ll return all the equipment and factories to their original owners upon conclusion of the war and eventual  lifting of sanctions?”

Putin says lots of things, mainly lies. This is what he told David Frost in an interview exactly 22 years ago, including stuff about Chechnya and Russia joining NATO!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/audio_video/programmes/breakfast_with_frost/transcripts/putin5.mar.txt

[SecretPro]

1 hour ago, Leicesterpool said:

Little difference it may make but could Ukraine's paint words in Russian on top of buildings which say Hospital and School. For the pilots to see. 

That would make sense if Russia weren't deliberating targeting schools, nursery's and hospitals, which they are, because they're *****. 

[SpacedX]

4 minutes ago, String fellow said:

Putin says lots of things, mainly lies. This is what he told David Frost in an interview exactly 22 years ago, including stuff about Chechnya and Russia joining NATO!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/audio_video/programmes/breakfast_with_frost/transcripts/putin5.mar.txt

Great find.

 

Interesting that you posted this because I was thinking this morning about a press conference that he held around about the same time following the loss of the Kursk whereupon he came under great criticism from his country. He admitted that his handling of the disaster could have been better having failed to cut his holiday short. Shades of Raab and the fall of Afghanistan, only difference being, Mr. Putin seemed to have genuine compunction. Like the Frost interview, during the press conference he gave detailed, lengthy answers to a broad range of questions during which, he said something very similar when questioned on the notion Russia joining NATO. He did lose his composure once, following a question about Chechnya. In response to one reporter, his voice grew louder and agitated as he defended the "sweeps" of Chechen houses by Russian troops, who were facing allegations of kidnapping, looting, torture and indiscriminate slaughter of civilians - which history now tells us was indeed the case. He justified the tactics as being a necessary measure, and liberating the people of Chechnya by purging "terrorists" who had beheaded prisoners and assassinated moderate religious leaders, including more than 40 pro-Moscow Chechen administrators. I recall him hollering something like "why don't you ask me about that? Why don't you want to know how we are forced to deal with these criminals?" No different to his current rhetoric then - only difference being, today, no Russian journalist would be permitted or indeed dare to ask such a question.