Russia & Ukraine

I will just put this cnn clip here.

I would like the bit about the meeting with the Russian general to be true, but I have no way of knowing. I am wishing the worst for them so that influences my thinking.

It is reported somewhat differently in this article link. Rather than the general being flustered over Putin, that he was flustered over alleged Ukrainian strikes against civilians in his ancestral towns. As I said, in a recent post, this is not Afghanistan all over again for the Russians. It is much, much worse. AFG was about going off to foreign wars and killing foreign people. But this is close to home for both sides and the Russians getting to see some places they care about obliterated. Arguing that the Ukrainians did it does not help much.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/us-russia-general-meeting-ukraine-b2043249.html

Let the viewers decide.

 
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Kremlin Flabbergasted by Putin Adviser Who Fled Russia
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A sunset over Kremlin churches in Moscow on Thursday. (AP Photo)

By Luca Cacciatore | Friday, 25 March 2022 https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/oligarchs-russia-ukraine-sanctions/2022/03/25/id/1062974/

The Russian government is reportedly beside itself after the former chairman and CEO of Rusnano, Anatoly Chubais, a champion of privatization in the post-Soviet era, fled the country despite no Western sanctions, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.

Chubais also resigned from his position as Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy for sustainable development, according to the outlet. He was last seen in Istanbul, a site quickly becoming a hotspot for fleeing oligarchs after Turkey refused to join EU sanctions.

Russian political analyst Ilya Grashchenkov told the Moscow Gazette on Friday that the reason for Chubais' departure was probably the result of a multitude of factors.

Grashchenkov said the oligarch's role as the special envoy for sustainable development "was highly connected to the relations of Western elites." After the total economic war on Russia began, Chubais' position became a liability for both parties, he theorized.

"Now is the time for Chubais to leave; if he stays, he will be part of the current system in the eyes of the West and the opposition," Grashchenkov said. "Chubais openly opposes the Kremlin. He is an open opponent of the special operation [in Ukraine] and Putin's politicians — plus, he can conduct some political activities in the West."

Others see the departure as almost entirely politically motivated, signaling Chubais may be in danger of Kremlin retaliation.

Andrei Kolesnikov, a political scientist at the Carnegie Moscow Center, compared the Russian elite to a submarine during an appearance on a Russian syndicated broadcast on Wednesday.

"The Russian elites are now a submarine from which it is terrifying to step out." He said. "It is very difficult to emerge.

"For rich people, bound by a large amount of information that is inaccessible to us, it is almost impossible to leave this submarine."

Kolesnikov compared Chubais' exit to former Russian adviser to the World Bank Boris Lvin earlier this month.

"There was also a man who left the World Bank staff — Boris Lvin, a man of liberal and libertarian convictions," Kolesnikov said. "All these people are economists and liberals, such a combination of circumstances. All the rest sit in their seats and respect their leader."
 
https://www.reuters.com/world/middl...ike-object-floating-off-black-sea-2022-03-26/
Turkey finds 'mine-like object' floating off Black Sea
By Azra Ceylan
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An oil tanker passes through the Bosphorus to the Black Sea in Istanbul July 20, 2012. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/

ISTANBUL, March 26 (Reuters) - Turkish authorites have warned vessels to stay away as a dive team inspects a "mine-like object" found floating north of Istanbul near the Black Sea, days after Russia warned that several mines had drifted away from Ukrainian ports.

The team secured the object and began deactivating it, Turkey's defence ministry said on Twitter.

Fishermen first spotted the object near a docking area in the upper Bosphorus strait - through which the Black Sea drains - and reported it to the Coast Guard, the Directorate General of Coastal Safety told Reuters.

A directorate spokesperson confirmed a report in the Milliyet newspaper that authorities issued a radio notice to boats that the object was reportedly "shaped like a ball with horn-like protrusions", and was "likely to be a mine".

Turkey shares Black Sea borders with Russia and Ukraine, which Moscow invaded last month.

Russia's main intelligence agency said on Monday that several mines had drifted out to sea after breaking off from cables near Ukrainian ports, a claim dismissed by Kyiv as disinformation and an attempt to close off parts of the sea. read more

The Black Sea is a major shipping artery for grain, oil and oil products.
 
Master Pu said:
Let me ask you something. Do you believe that Cuba has the same right to be a free and independent, sovereign country like you consider Ukraine to be, to have the right to decide which countries to have allegiances with, etc?
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The references to Cuba are nowhere near the same. Cuba had nuclear missiles pointed at Americans. There was/is no such similar situation in Ukraine.
 
kashirin said:
Russia may give up a lot but Crimea will be Ukranian not sooner than nuclear winter comes into Washington
It's absolutely sacral to Russians and there is no force on this planet that will make Crimea Ukranian ever again

So given what I said above would you prefer to make large part of US radioactive desert to make Crimea ukranian again or maybe other solutions should exist?
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yeah, yeah, we've all heard the Kremlin's talking points....sacral plz. It's only been 8 yrs, hardly enough time to form a religion.
 
terr said:
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-goals-scaled-back/31770879.html

This is hilarious. "first phase of its military operation was complete and it would now focus on two eastern regions claimed by Russia-backed separatists".

Apparently the "first phase" was to lose 10,000+ dead and 20,000+ wounded, 20% of the tanks/BMPs/APCs, ruin your own economy, and become the world's pariah - in order to distract Ukrainians from the Russians' main goal - taking Donbass.

Let the Putin poodles on this board start the prase flowing for the amazing cleverness of the Russian chess moves!
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Before the Russians attacked I posted whether Russia will invade from the east in a phased systematic approach clearing the field behind them or a multi-front attack spreading the forces in hopes for a quick take. Obviously moving from the east was the smartest and surest option and the multi-front attack the most risky but with high rewards in terms of turnover.

Putin obviously chose the quick turnover route and is paying the price. And there is a complication now, the Ukrainians have battle tested veterans now that have gained expertise in things like attack formations and knowledge of Russian weapons and tactics. This is something that still isn’t recognized by most people but it’s a huge Ukrainian strength going forward.
 
UsualName said:
The references to Cuba are nowhere near the same. Cuba had nuclear missiles pointed at Americans. There was/is no such similar situation in Ukraine.
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There may not have been any bases in Ukraine, yet, so Russia prevented this from happening, so if Ukraine was to join NATO at some point in the future, then this wouldn't have been possible. The point I was trying to make is whether the US would allow Cuba today to join an alliance with Russia or China and have their military bases there, personally, I doubt it.

This is what Chinese think about the situation. Main problem of people that follow mainstream media is that they don't tend to fully understand the problem as the story is being presented with lots of propaganda on all sides. Therefore, most view Putin as some sort of cretin that kills innocent babies and women, no different to what NATO forces did in Iraq which had much greater civilian casualties. But again, most would justify this by saying it was in response to 9/11 and therefore this somehow gives approval to slaughter hundreds of thousands of civilians, when in fact there is no justification.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202203/1256716.shtml
 
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themickey said:
https://www.reuters.com/world/middl...ike-object-floating-off-black-sea-2022-03-26/
the object was reportedly "shaped like a ball with horn-like protrusions", and was "likely to be a mine".
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4619.jpg


I can understand mines breaking loose in a real ocean over time but several in under a month in a relative millpond? More Russian incompetence, now rusty chains.

I was chatting with my Romanian friend who is East of Odessa and he said that it's probably very short time before Ukraine counters the threat of being nuked if they try to take the East and Crimea "no backsies plan" with their own nuclear response threat.

Apparently the unstoppable hypersonic missiles (and to be fair they are) being more mundane than portrayed late 1980s tech mobile missiles adapted to fire from a Mig, Ukraine can do likewise in short order with bits left lying about.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuzhmash

They have not taken Dnipro, Ukraine aka "rocket city".
 
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