Russia & Ukraine

[Cuddles]

'Useful idiot' Republicans scorched for attacking Biden during Ukraine crisis

During an appearance on MSNBC's "The Sunday Show," conservative commentator Charlie Sykes expressed nothing but contempt for GOP lawmakers and conservatives who are using the crisis in Ukraine to bash President Joe Biden who is leading the world in pushing back at Vladimir Putin.

After host Jonathan Capehart shared a supercut that showed former president Donald Trump and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) spending more time attacking the American president than the Russian president who is threatening nuclear war, he exclaimed, "Ah, y'all, come on? So, why is the party of Reagan -- the one that saw Russia and communism as the evil empire -- now seemingly rooting for Putin?"

"This is a disgraceful moment," Sykes began. "This is not the party of Reagan anymore, it's the party of Trump. What you demonstrated there was the entertainment wing of the Republican Party is all-in on either being pro-Putin or anti-anti-Putin."

"This is important because right now there seems to be a moment when most Republic elected officials are reading the room and recognizing, you don't want to be justifying this aggression by Vladimir Putin and they're sort of sounding like they're kind of hawkish," he added. "But we have to remember that the entertainment wing of the Republican Party is still the dominant wing of the Republican Party. They are still the id of the Republican Party."

"These useful idiots out there may be looking bad at the moment, but don't, don't underestimate their ability to pull the Republican Party back in the Trumpian direction," he added.

attacking a wartime president....such traitors.



waited 20 yrs to say that lolz.

 

[gwb-trading]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1498002635881918468

 

[Mercor]

Condi Rice turns tables on Fox News host: NATO 'unites' under Biden the way Trump never could

Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice on Sunday praised President Joe Biden after NATO united under him in a way that it did not under President Donald Trump.

"It is certainly against every principle of international law and international order, and that's why throwing the book at them now in terms of economic sanctions and punishments is also a part of it," she said. "And I think the world is there. Certainly, NATO is there. He's managed to unite NATO in ways I didn't think I would ever see again after the end of the Cold War."

As president, Trump actively worked to undermine NATO and even considered withdrawing from the treaty organization.

FALSE FALSE FALSE
The RAWSTORY headline is FAKE. Do not use their headline to support any points you are making
Did you watch the interview??
Rice never mentions Biden

FAKE He's managed to unite NATO in ways I didn't think I would ever see again after the end of the Cold War."
TRUTH Rice was referring to Putin, Putin has united NATO like never before

Trump was not undermining NATO, he was trying to strengthen NATO by forcing others to pay what they promise

TRUMP was correct
9 hours ago — By 2024, the government of Germany will spend at least 2% of gross domestic product each year on defense, he added, in line with a NATO

 

[gwb-trading]

White House responds to Russia’s decision to put deterrence forces on high alert
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/27/politics/russia-nuclear-high-alert-white-house-reaction/index.html

Washington CNN — White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to put Russia’s deterrence forces, which includes nuclear arms, on high alert are part of a wider pattern of unprovoked escalation and “manufactured threats” from the Kremlin.

“This is really a pattern that we’ve seen from President Putin through the course of this conflict, which is manufacturing threats that don’t exist in order to justify further aggression – and the global community and the American people should look at it through that prism,” Psaki told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on “This Week.”

Additionally, a senior administration official told CNN on Sunday that Putin’s move was “yet another escalatory and totally unnecessary step,” a senior administration official said Sunday.

“At every step of this conflict Putin has manufactured threats to justify more aggressive actions – he was never under threat from Ukraine or from NATO, which is a defensive alliance that will not fight in Ukraine,” the official said.

“The only reason his forces face a threat today is because they invaded a sovereign country, and one without nuclear weapons. This is yet another escalatory and totally unnecessary step,” they added.

Putin’s move comes in the face of universal condemnation from Western powers over Moscow’s unprovoked assault on Ukraine, now in its fourth day.

“Top officials in leading NATO countries have allowed themselves to make aggressive comments about our country, therefore I hereby order the Minister of Defense and the chief of the General Staff to place the Russian Army Deterrence Force on combat alert,” Putin said in a televised meeting with top Russian defense officials.

Putin also said the Western sanctions placed on Russia were unlawful.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield similarly cast Putin’s actions as unnecessarily escalatory on Sunday, telling CBS News that he “is continuing to escalate this war in a manner that is totally unacceptable.”

“We have to continue to condemn his actions in … the strongest possible way,” she told CBS News. “Putin has tried every means possible to actually put fear in the world in terms of his action, and it just means that we have to ramp up our efforts here at the United Nations and elsewhere to hold him accountable.”

Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova, meanwhile, cast Putin’s move as “one more example of the terrorist behavior of Russia,” telling CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday on “State of the Union” that Russian forces “attacked our country, they are scaring everyone.”

And NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called Putin’s allegations against NATO “dangerous rhetoric,” adding that “this is a behavior which is irresponsible.”

“The new statements from President Putin just added to the very aggressive rhetoric we have seen from Russia for many months, and especially the last couple of weeks, where they are not only threatening Ukraine, but also threatening NATO allied countries,” he told Bash earlier on the same program.

 

[gwb-trading]

So four days into the Russian invasion of Ukraine let's take a look where things are at...

Most strategic observers stated that the Russian military should have taken over most of Ukraine's major cities within a week -- at least on paper the imbalance in the military forces of the two countries is significant.

Instead the Russian military forces have greatly under-performed. There are citations that the Russian supply lines are vulnerable and being attacked. The Russians having issues with dealing with Ukraine's air defenses. Collapse of Russian morale in some units. Coupled with reports of Chechen tank columns being destroyed while Putin demands that Belarus forces join in the fight to assault to Kyiv.

The Russians are making some progress - entering Ukraine's second largest city, while also targeting fuel infrastructure such as oil refineries and storage depots which can provide the Ukraine military with fuel. However if the Russian forces start to destroy natural gas and oil infrastructure wholesale then they are effectively eliminating one of the key economic reasons they want ownership of the Ukraine.

Reports indicate that Putin is furious with the lack of progress of the Russian forces and their failure to take any major cities. It appears that Russia may have bitten off more than it can chew with Ukraine.

On the home-front things are not going well for Putin. Protests against the war continue in many cities against Putin even after thousands of arrests. More importantly MPs in the Russian Parliament from parties such as the Russian Communist Party that normally support Putin are denouncing his actions, and several of the wealthy Russian elite are calling for peace in Ukraine.

The conflict in Ukraine has raised the possibility of nuclear conflict with Putin putting Russian nuclear forces on high alert. A move western countries are likely to mirror.

Ukraine and Russia have agreed to meet for talks at the border in Belarus without preconditions. But these talks are likely nothing more than a show for both sides to express their demands and go to the world media to reinforce their demands while claiming they tried.

The sanctions from the EU and other nations continue to be applied. Restriction to Russian airlines, cutting of Swift and other measures. At this point they don't mean much except for getting the Russian elite upset because they cannot visit their estates abroad. The U.S. should take measures to force the Russians to leave their compounds in the U.S. that are typically used for spying -- including Killenworth in Long island.

Ukraine has filed a lawsuit against Russia in the UN international court of justice at the Hague -- which means little. The UN security council could not even vote to condemn the invasion with Russia's veto making the entire organization appear to be the laughing stock that many contend it is. All the Ukraine's President could do is unfollow the world's leaders on Twitter to protest their lack of action.

In my opinion the sanctions from western nations will not do much to stop Putin's aggression in Ukraine. The weapons western nations are providing Ukraine will provide a little help -- but is a classic example of "too little, too late". If the western nations want to stop Putin's aggression in Ukraine then they need to take a more active military role.

The first step should be to establish a "no fly zone" over the Ukraine. Get U.S. and western planes to Poland and other nearby nations. Just like Iraq and the Balkans earlier -- make it clear the "no fly zone" is a humanitarian effort to stop civilian suffering. All planes of both sides will be shot down -- unless they are per-registered approved flights such as humanitarian aide.

As step two target any ground forces firing at the planes enforcing the "no fly zone" -- no matter which side does the targeting (you got to treat both sides equally, eh.)

Finally demand that all military equipment movement be stopped (unless they are leaving the Ukraine) -- destroy any ground military convoys involved in offensive movement.

Is the West ready to do this? No. They do not have adequate planes currently located in the region to enforce a "no fly zone". Nor do they have permission from Poland or other nations to be used as a base of operations for enforcing a "no fly zone" over the Ukraine. These nearby nations probably do not want to be involved in possibly expanding the conflict to their soil so permission is not likely coming. Nor does the West seem to have the will power to get involved directly in a military manner.

As I noted the U.S. and western nations do not have the backbone to set up a "no fly zone" in the Ukraine.

US will not use American troops to create no-fly zone in Ukraine, says UN ambassador
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/27/poli...zone-linda-thomas-greenfield-cnntv/index.html

 

[Cuddles]

FALSE FALSE FALSE
The RAWSTORY headline is FAKE. Do not use their headline to support any points you are making
Did you watch the interview??
Rice never mentions Biden

FAKE He's managed to unite NATO in ways I didn't think I would ever see again after the end of the Cold War."
TRUTH Rice was referring to Putin, Putin has united NATO like never before

Trump was not undermining NATO, he was trying to strengthen NATO by forcing others to pay what they promise

TRUMP was correct
9 hours ago — By 2024, the government of Germany will spend at least 2% of gross domestic product each year on defense, he added, in line with a NATO

 

[Mercor]

You are afraid of debating facts??
Tell me will Biden be adding Copium to his free drug zones.. Obviously the Democrat sucking that hose found that hat while looking for lunch in the local dumpster

 

[Cuddles]

You are afraid of debating facts??

 

[BeautifulStranger]

So much misinformation on Russia-Ukraine, too little time to correct. Too bad too few seem willing to think for themselves. There is a wealth of gleanable information from recent pictures and news videos that a critical eye should be able to pick up. Bugenhagen, you game?

Anyway, I’ll concentrate on a few points. Within 24 hours of the invasion, Russia had Ukraine almost in a totally defensive position. Ukraine was considered to have the second most powerful military force on the European continent, behind Russia, of course. Further, it appears the Russians did not use their full complement electronic warfare against Ukraine, presumably to prevent the US from learning too much of their capabilities in that area. In addition, Russia has seemingly not specifically targeted communications either directly or by jamming, a fundamental component of battle, to their detriment in perhaps an attempt to maintain transparency. Russia’s progress through urban areas is not actually slow. Think of it: Total Russian manpower is under 200,000 to clear multiple cities, with several of these cities having populations in the millions. Also, Russia appears to be attempting to minimize civilian casualties while still allowing civilians to travel. I don’t wish to sound like a Putin apologist, but we need to see things as they are for effective policy and military doctrine.

Speaking of doctrine, based on this week’s events, some changes seem necessary for Nato. These changes involve updating definitions of acts of war and decisively acting when such definitions are met. This is of course, escalatory. In fact, the proper responses from a practical tactical and near strategic standpoint inherently compels the other side to escalate to reestablish their original advantage for a perceived critical objective. This is at risk of a strategic response by the other side. Russia says they “Need” Ukraine for their security. However, that point is lost if Nato becomes armed to the teeth and Russia’s economy is in shambles. Japan has just suggested that nuclear weapons become more available to threatened countries, for example. China can only buy so much Russian resources, especially as China seeks greater global influence. Worse yet, how useful is security for Russia if the result is a sunk navy and potentially smoldering cities?

Putin might have been able or might still be able to get away with acquiring the two rebel influenced areas of Ukraine, but trying to retain whole of Ukraine will likely be a thorn in Putins side for the remainder of his tenure, how ever long that may be.

Social media, swarms of civilian communications satellites, and progression of human’s sense of values are increasingly making weakly justified wars obsolete. In other words, the “Pen… as in communication… may indeed be mightier than the sword”.

From a military standpoint, Putin’s invasion is a masterpiece. From a political, diplomatic, and humanitarian standpoint, few disasters are greater. After all, what is the long term outlook for a country that is isolated from most world markets? Especially if Europeans finally decide to make energy security a priority? Putin’s planning missed the meta verse response of world opinion and now finds himself with a bad hand. Question is, will Putin throw it away or go all in instead?

 

[gwb-trading]

Russia invades Ukraine: Furious Russian president reportedly 'holed up in mountain lair'
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/ru...-in-mountain-lair/NZT7M77YGRNSF544R2PTDPDL6Q/

Russian President Vladimir Putin is "furious" that his invasion of Ukraine hasn't been "easy" after Russian troops have been unable to take even one major city in three days of fighting, according to a member of the European Union Parliament who said he was citing Ukrainian intelligence reports.

"Putin is furious, he thought that the whole war would be easy and everything would be done in 1-4 days," Riho Terras, who is also the former defence chief of NATO member Estonia, said in a lengthy thread on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1497537193346220038

"The Russians are in shock of the fierce resistance they have encountered," Terras said. He claimed the report shows they don't have a "tactical plan" to take a Ukraine that is fighting back, stating that the entire invasion plan relied on "sowing panic among civilians and armed forces and forcing (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy to flee".

Terras posted an image of what appeared to be an intelligence report written in Russian that said, "Putin is raging. He was sure it would be a cake walk."

Terras, citing the intelligence report, said the Russian military has enough rockets only for three or four days, and with the new sanctions imposed will not be able to replace their depleted weapons. "There are not enough weapons," the intel report said in two different spots.

"If Ukraine manages to hold the Russians off for 10 days, then the Russians will have to enter negotiations," Terras wrote, noting that the war is costing 20 billion rubles ($350 million) a day. "Because they have no money, weapons, or resources."

According to Terras, Putin was holed up in his "lair in the Urals", and brought Russian oligarchs with him so they couldn't flee the country.

Map shows plan has changed
The Institute for the Study of War has revealed its latest analysis of the movements of Russian troops in Ukraine as the invading forces suffer unexpectedly stiff resistance from Ukrainian troops.

The mapping shows Russian troops have occupied areas around Chernobyl, land near Kharkiv, a zone north of Crimea and the two rebel regions Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic.

The think tank said, "Russia has failed to encircle and isolate Kyiv with mechanised and airborne attacks as it had clearly planned to do.

"Russian forces are now engaging in more straightforward mechanised drives into Kyiv along a narrow front on the west bank of the Dnipro River and on a broad front to the northeast."

The Russian forces have temporarily abandoned their efforts to seize Chernihiv and Kharkiv to the northeast and east of Kyiv and are bypassing those cities to continue their drive on Kyiv, ISW said.

The think tank added that Russian successes in southern Ukraine are the most dangerous for Ukraine.

Russia's invasion force is being slowed and frustrated by unexpectedly stiff resistance from Ukrainian troops, keeping them outside Kyiv, a senior US defence official said on Saturday.

The United States and Western allies are still able to deliver arms into the country to bolster the Ukraine military, and Washington plans to send more in the coming days to help them fight both Russian armour on the ground and assaults from the air, the official said.

According to Pentagon information, Russia now has at least 50 per cent of its massive invasion force inside Ukraine.

But the force is making slow progress on its original three-front thrust due to unexpectedly stiff resistance, the official told reporters, on grounds of anonymity.

There are also reports on social media of Russian military vehicles running out of fuel and troops going hungry.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1497486419891306497

"We have indications that the Russians are increasingly frustrated by their lack of momentum over the last 24 hours, particularly in the north parts of Ukraine," the official said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Russia's invasion of Ukraine "is not going Vladimir Putin's way" as the UK's Ministry of Defence confirmed the aggressor had yet to gain control of the airspace over Ukraine, reducing the effectiveness of the Russian Air Force.

"Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to put up staunch resistance across the country," the MoD said.

"Russian casualties are likely to be heavy and greater than anticipated or acknowledged by the Kremlin."

James Heappey, the UK's Armed Forces minister, told the Telegraph: "After three days of intense fighting, spurred by dogged Ukrainian resistance, Russia is well behind its planned timeline.

"Progress to Kyiv has been much slower than they'd expected, they were unable to take key cities early and now must try to bypass them.

"This leaves pockets of well-armed and well-trained Ukrainians to the rear of the Russian front line, exposing a vulnerable logistics tail - an omen for what awaits Putin."

(More at above url)