Ukraine

[ThistleWhistle]

31 minutes ago, SpecialisedOutsourcing said:

Big protest in St. Petersburg today - and people beginning to fight back against the police. 

 

The bravery of the Ukrainian people, and increasing numbers of Russians, is beyond question and is hopefully a scenario I never ever find myself in.  

For argument sake lets say another week of this and at a cost of x thousand civilian deaths cripple him from the inside to such an extent he is replaced from within - how can you be certain they will be any better?  Would a new leader who comes out of the ashes of the Putin regime, and who survived within it, be more friendly to Europe or is their first job cracking down on the civil disobedience that got them there in the first place then cementing ties with Iran and China?  

I'm far from an expert on this but there has to be more to the strategy than merely replacing Putin.  

[Och Aye]

26 minutes ago, ThistleWhistle said:

The bravery of the Ukrainian people, and increasing numbers of Russians, is beyond question and is hopefully a scenario I never ever find myself in.  

For argument sake lets say another week of this and at a cost of x thousand civilian deaths cripple him from the inside to such an extent he is replaced from within - how can you be certain they will be any better?  Would a new leader who comes out of the ashes of the Putin regime, and who survived within it, be more friendly to Europe or is their first job cracking down on the civil disobedience that got them there in the first place then cementing ties with Iran and China?  

I'm far from an expert on this but there has to be more to the strategy than merely replacing Putin.  

Sad how it's went from Gorbachev era returning to this .

[SpecialisedOutsourcing]

28 minutes ago, ThistleWhistle said:

The bravery of the Ukrainian people, and increasing numbers of Russians, is beyond question and is hopefully a scenario I never ever find myself in.  

For argument sake lets say another week of this and at a cost of x thousand civilian deaths cripple him from the inside to such an extent he is replaced from within - how can you be certain they will be any better?  Would a new leader who comes out of the ashes of the Putin regime, and who survived within it, be more friendly to Europe or is their first job cracking down on the civil disobedience that got them there in the first place then cementing ties with Iran and China?  

I'm far from an expert on this but there has to be more to the strategy than merely replacing Putin.  

Got to think if he is replaced - and it’s a big “if” - he’s such a pariah now I doubt there’s even really one friendly country that would give him residence - any next Leader would imho have to seek friendly relations just in order to rebuild the economy and feed the people. 
at some stage over the next week or 2 normal Russians in large numbers are not going to get paid - and if they do get paid from the central bank printing money inflation will still render the pay worthless. That’s when the protests could get really big.

We’re also just 2 days away from the 105th anniversary of the Russian Revolution starting in St Petersburg - that day could be interesting in that City. If that city “falls” (ie the police simply gives up arresting people and protestors take over govt buildings then I’d say he’s done. 

Edited March 6, 2022 by SpecialisedOutsourcing

[Och Aye]

1 minute ago, SpecialisedOutsourcing said:

Got to think if he is replaced - and it’s a big “if” - he’s such a pariah now I doubt there’s even really one friendly country that would give him residence - any next Leader would imho have to seek friendly relations just in order to rebuild the economy and feed the people. 
at some stage over the next week or 2 normal Russians in large numbers are not going to get paid - and if they do get paid from the central bank printing money inflation will still render the pay worthless. That’s when the protests could get really big.

Yep and that makes him even more dangerous - animal backed into a corner.

[aaid]

Belarus’s Chief of the General Staff has resigned. 

[SpecialisedOutsourcing]

Protestors now breaking through police lines - first I’ve seen video of that ever in Russia

 

[Lamia]

1 hour ago, ThistleWhistle said:

The bravery of the Ukrainian people, and increasing numbers of Russians, is beyond question and is hopefully a scenario I never ever find myself in.  

For argument sake lets say another week of this and at a cost of x thousand civilian deaths cripple him from the inside to such an extent he is replaced from within - how can you be certain they will be any better?  Would a new leader who comes out of the ashes of the Putin regime, and who survived within it, be more friendly to Europe or is their first job cracking down on the civil disobedience that got them there in the first place then cementing ties with Iran and China?  

I'm far from an expert on this but there has to be more to the strategy than merely replacing Putin.  

I was listening to one of the experts (can't recall who) who suggested it mighty in fact be worse with the vacuum it would leave but who knows. 

[SpecialisedOutsourcing]

Longer version of the protestors breaking through the police:

 

[SpecialisedOutsourcing]

Not just young people protesting now - seen several videos today like this one of old women remonstrating with the police:

 

Edited March 6, 2022 by SpecialisedOutsourcing

[ThistleWhistle]

3 hours ago, Lamia said:

I was listening to one of the experts (can't recall who) who suggested it mighty in fact be worse with the vacuum it would leave but who knows. 

Seems absolutely mental that various collectives are watching this shit casserole explode all over the hob and have to decide if keeping Putin despite what he's currently unleashing is less risky than to leave him insitu.

With the vested interests of the West, China and obviously Russia it would be difficult to take a punt how that plays out.  Handing it to the leader of the opposition unopposed must be hugely unlikely.

It makes me nostalgic for the Brexit days and annoyed crimson people shouting on the news.

Edited March 6, 2022 by ThistleWhistle

[kumnio]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60640460

Well England have done their fair share.

[kumnio]

 

Its ok though, apparently we stand with Ukriane

[thplinth]

He did get back on. He is so right.

 

[thplinth]

Regarding the attack on the nuclear plant it does appear to be an attempt to create an incident to draw in the West. Take it with as many pinches of salt as you want but this is what Sputniknews are reporting Putin told Macron. 

https://sputniknews.com/20220306/putin-tells-macron-about-attempted-provocation-around-nuclear-power-plant-by-ukrainian-radicals-1093636233.html

"In connection with concerns expressed by Emmanuel Macron about ensuring the safety of nuclear power plants on the territory of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin informed him in detail about the provocation organized by Ukrainian radicals in the area of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant involving a sabotage group," a Kremlin readout released Sunday after a phone call between the Russian and French leaders said.

------

The Russian military announced that it had taken control of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant on 28 February. Local authorities denied that the plant had been lost, and on 4 March accused Russian forces of damaging buildings near the facility in artillery strikes. The Russian defence ministry dismissed these allegations and accused "the Kiev regime" of "attempt[ing] to implement a monstrous provocation" to spark a nuclear disaster. The MoD accused Ukrainian saboteurs of attacking a Russian national guard patrol from a building in an area adjacent to the plant. The guardsmen were said to have responded with small arms fire, with the saboteurs leaving the building they had occupied and setting it on fire. Firefighters arrived shortly after to put the fire out.

-----

You are going to see more of this IMHO. There are 'sabotage' units specially formed for this purpose according to the Russians. They are seeking to commit atrocities (against their own people) in an effort to make the West intervene.

I would not be surprised if there is some future incident involving chemical / biological weapons as well. Don't underestimate just how dirty a fight this is going to be. The whole thing is horrific.

[thplinth]

This is the MMA guy apparently... I am not endorsing any of these sites, just searched to find the story and they came up amongst many others.

https://www.thesportsroom.org/watch-maxim-ryndovskiy-tortured-by-ukrainian/

https://www.redvoicemedia.com/2022/03/ukrainian-mma-fighter-who-previously-trained-with-russians-captured-and-tortured-by-ukrainian-soldiers-video/

This is why I don't think you can take any reports (especially of 'atrocities') at face value at this point. I just hope they don't do something really fucking stupid here. The US had over a dozen bioweapons labs operating in Ukraine. Something you don't read about in the western media much and another reason we are in this mess now.

[thplinth]

This was published in 2018. 

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/ukraine-s-got-a-real-problem-with-far-right-violence-and-no-rt-didn-t-write-this-headline/

These are the folk we are sending stinger missiles and God knows what else... They are extremists. Neo-nazis.

That Whitney Webb article above (Ukraine and the new Al Qaeda) is looking scarily accurate at this point.

[aaid]

Another early start in South America again I see. 

Anyone else smell shite here?

[Ally Bongo]

2 minutes ago, aaid said:

Another early start in South America again I see. 

Anyone else smell shite here?

Has he mentioned The Wagner Group yet ?

[thplinth]

aaid it is a VPN.

 You can change it to virtually any country. Today I am in Yokohama. 😀 

[thplinth]

Dearie me. Wagner group are a Russian mercenary group similar to Blackwater. They have been around for years. The US infamously bombed some of them in Syria (I think) when they threatened to overrun ISIS or some other asset one day, can't recall off the top of my head. If the big reveal is they are in Ukraine then I would say... shocker. There will be mercenaries working for both sides, but especially on the Ukrainian side as they need them most. The Chechen special forces have been deployed as well and they look mental. There are some right hard cases kicking about Ukraine at this point and all tooled up to the eye balls. Bad place to be. 

[Ally Bongo]

A few weeks after the retreat from Tripoli, it was reported that a mosque south of the capital was vandalized by Wagner Group PMCs. The mosque was partially arsoned and the PMCs reportedly left graffiti with neo-nazi slogans and symbols, including 14/88, insults to Muslims written in Russian, pork stew cans deliberately left as an insult (pork consumption is forbidden by islamic law) and the phrase "There is no black in the colors of Zenit", a racist slogan used by FC Zenit Saint Petersburg Ultras against the hiring of black footballers

 

[thplinth]

Yeah but Ally, you told us the tank running over the OAP was Russian and you even said 'he did it for a laugh' and then you repeated the mobile crematorium story AFTER I highlighted it was a propaganda story. 

You also tried to deny the existence of neo-nazis in Ukraine and argued it was anti semitic to say there were as Ukraine had a Jewish president. You are not really batting for truth here are you. 😀

Edited March 7, 2022 by thplinth

[aaid]

38 minutes ago, thplinth said:

aaid it is a VPN.

 You can change it to virtually any country. Today I am in Yokohama. 😀 

A VPN doesn't change the time that you post though.

Weather for next weekend in St Petersburg looks good though, up to 2 degrees, positively tropical.

[thplinth]

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/02/27/ukraine-national-guard-shares-video-of-fighters-greasing-bullets-in-pig-fat-for-chechen-orcs/

Same guys?

edit: there is a vid 

 

Edited March 7, 2022 by thplinth

[thplinth]

8 minutes ago, aaid said:

A VPN doesn't change the time that you post though.

Weather for next weekend in St Petersburg looks good though, up to 2 degrees, positively tropical.

But you said I was in South America a minute ago. That was a short flight back to St Petersburg I had. Must have been on one of them Russkie hypersonic missiles eh. (Do you have any idea how insane you sound? 😀)