Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

Good job Biden, you idiot.

what

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

🍿

This isn't some kind of game.

Doesn’t mean we can’t find it entertaining/exciting. I know I will.

We could be on the brink of something that will change this world forever. Isn’t that something to get your adrenaline running?

This is something a psychopath would say, when a humanitarian disaster and a war is on the verge of happening. It is not "entertaining" or "exciting."

The dude's an avowed fascist-sympathizer, are you surprised?

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

LETS KICK SOME **S AGAINST THESE SICKOS!!!

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

As someone who considers myself firmly on the left and has stood against escalation and belligerence from the start on either side; f**k this warmongering imperialist Putin to hell and back.

Ukraine is not a NATO country and we should still not get directly involved in any manner whatsoever. That being said, I am all in favor of sending huge amounts of aid to Ukraine and crushing Russia's economy through sanctions. Certainly a better use of money for weapons than our bloated defense budget.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

Kick Russia off the U.N. Security Council

I realize it's practically unlikely, but god dammit, we need to hit Russia on every single front absent direct confrontation.

There was never a formal process to admit Russia into the U.N. after the USSR's demise, and the Security Council seat was granted via a decision from the UN's legal counsel with no action requested from the General Assembly. That edict could be revoked, and the U.S. could demand a vote in the General Assembly on Russia's Security Council membership. Would such a maneuver save Kyiv? No, but Moscow must be besieged on all fronts if there is any hope of rescuing Ukrainians from a Russian occupation. The worst crisis in post-war Europe demands nothing less than concerted, dramatic action aimed at Moscow's total isolation, and the time to start is now.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

Kick Russia off the U.N. Security Council

I realize it's practically unlikely, but god dammit, we need to hit Russia on every single front absent direct confrontation.

There was never a formal process to admit Russia into the U.N. after the USSR's demise, and the Security Council seat was granted via a decision from the UN's legal counsel with no action requested from the General Assembly. That edict could be revoked, and the U.S. could demand a vote in the General Assembly on Russia's Security Council membership. Would such a maneuver save Kyiv? No, but Moscow must be besieged on all fronts if there is any hope of rescuing Ukrainians from a Russian occupation. The worst crisis in post-war Europe demands nothing less than concerted, dramatic action aimed at Moscow's total isolation, and the time to start is now.

The UN is useless

The UN needs drastic reform sure, but 'useless' is an ignorant thing to say, even if it only served as a forum for nations and people who wouldn't otherwise be talking to do so.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

https://twitter.com/emilyparcell/status/1497039210620293123?s=20&t=Bp5UfDRqv...
Sobering. God protect these people. 🇺🇦

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

With sanctions not hitting Russian exports of raw materials and being paid for it, Russian gas started to flow again into Europe, some via Ukraine.  Gas prices fell 20% on this supply surge.  Russian equities up 12%.  Gas still way up from a few days ago and Russian equities still way down from a few days ago but the trend has reversed.

I swear, if business and material interests win out over the security and freedom of the Ukrainian people… Though I guess I really shouldn’t be surprised, they always seem to in the end.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1497701484003213317?s=20&t=TMyUN-oLHyPxf...
I am not a fan of Elon Musk in the slightest; but I will give him props for this, if it's true. We can't allow Ukraine to be cut off from the internet so Russia can hide their actions. Now announce that the service is free for all Ukrainian's or particularly the ones documenting Russian atrocities.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

It's a tweet, that's it, about one of the worst people alive (sans Kim Jong Un, the Ayatollah, Netanyahu, etc...) let's not all go giving little Marco too much applause for a tweet. He still has horrible social, economic and (mostly) foreign policy.

And his PFP still annoys me, it's almost like he's trying too hard to be relatable.

Any way, far more importantly, back to focusing on the valiant defense being put up by the Ukrainian people...

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

While I used to be able to sympathize with some of Putin's views on certain issues, now I just can't. Putin is 100% without a doubt a war criminal now and I do not sympathize with war criminals! I still don't support US troops in Ukraine and hope that both sides can find a solution rather quickly, which sadly looks pretty unlikely at this point.

Just thought I'd give my two cents.

 I am trying to restrain myself from hyperbole in asking this, but on what possible issues could one agree with Vladimir Putin on? Serious question.

Bringing stability to your country and raising it up from being an Oligarch dominated disaster zone like Russia in the 1990s or the United States.

Lmao at the idea that Russia is better than the US today . Heck I’d say Jim Crow South USA > Russia has ever been

This is a revolting take, can we just agree they're both sh**tty and move on. Lord.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

I have to wonder also whether Putin isn't hardening Anti-Russian sentiment even in the East of Ukraine; people and countries grow by going through hardships together after all. He's creating martyrs, fostering camaraderie  among Ukrainian's in the defense of their homes and pushing them into the arms of the West even more than they were before. Will there be a single youth in Ukraine who believes in Pro-Russian policies after all this horror is said and done?

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

https://twitter.com/iaponomarenko/status/1497895878253858822?s=21
I’ve now seen multiple sources claim this, including the Governor of Kharkiv Oblast. Some claim that it’s due to a new strategy of the Russian’s of bypassing urban centers to either encircle the heavily fortified Ukrainian units in the Donbas or meet-up with Southern forces in Dnipro/Zaphorizia, but either way, it reeks of poor planning and desperation.

Or maybe that’s just my hope. Either way, I know we’re all praying Putin’s rotten house of cards hopefully comes crashing down ASAP.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

https://twitter.com/kyivindependent/status/1497929591209529347?s=21
https://twitter.com/kyivindependent/status/1497929907195756546?s=21
Huge if true. The source seems reputable, but it’d certainly be a drastic change of events.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

These children, including young Russian and Ukrainian boys, are dying for the sake of one man’s vanity and sick narcissism. It can’t be said enough, but #F**kPutin and I honestly hope he goes down in history as in line with other evil, destructive, inhuman Dictators.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

What does Putin mean when he says he will de-nazify Ukraine? Thats just straight up ridiculous

Most Russian soldiers seem to have been told that they would be welcomed as Liberators, and that the Ukrainian government was some sort of dictatorship itself. Instead, they’re finding themselves with mass resistance and people throwing themselves in front of their death armada to stop them.

Ultimately, it’s all just a cover for Putin’s imperialist ambitions and justification for war crimes.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

I was talking to a Russian guy I use to be friends with on Instagram and he kept insisting that the invasion was somehow Russia defending itself. How can any Russian still believe that in the face of unified opposition and Ukrainian's literally hurling themselves in front of Russia's death armada.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

Sooo, I've actually been learning some Russian lately and aided with a translator have been engaging some Russian's across platforms like VK (most effective), Instagram, Youtube, etc and have actually engaged in some pretty great conversations.

Ultimately, the only way this situation can end peacefully is if we as ordinary people stand together and say 'enough is enough' to the oligarchic mad men like Putin. No one in this hugely global world wants a repeat of the Cold War... And if we don't want that to happen we need to do our best to form friendships and relationships across the borders of countries.

If Putin can launch disinformation on our social networks and try to divide us, I can go onto Russian social networks and engage with these people one on one to prove we aren't so different after all. This is the 21st century and as Ukraine has proven, Social Media and victory in the square of world opinion can be hugely effective.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

Sooo, I've actually been learning some Russian lately and aided with a translator have been engaging some Russian's across platforms like VK (most effective), Instagram, Youtube, etc and have actually engaged in some pretty great conversations.

Ultimately, the only way this situation can end peacefully is if we as ordinary people stand together and say 'enough is enough' to the oligarchic mad men like Putin. No one in this hugely global world wants a repeat of the Cold War... And if we don't want that to happen we need to do our best to form friendships and relationships across the borders of countries.

If Putin can launch disinformation on our social networks and try to divide us, I can go onto Russian social networks and engage with these people one on one to prove we aren't so different after all. This is the 21st century and as Ukraine has proven, Social Media and victory in the square of world opinion can be hugely effective.

So, then, could you please translate the article linked to one post above yours for everyone? Pretty please?

You can use Google translate here to convert any Russian website to English with surprisingly great accuracy.

This is the part I found most personally interesting,

Blitzkrieg failed. It is simply impossible to complete the task now: if Zelensky and the authorities were captured in the first 1-3 days, they seized all the key buildings in Kyiv, they gave them the order to surrender - yes, the resistance would subside to the minimum values. In theory. But what's next? Even with this ideal variant, there was an unsolvable problem: with whom to negotiate? If we demolish Zelensky, well, with whom should we sign agreements? If with Zelensky, then after we demolish it, these papers are worth nothing. Opposition Platform for Life refused to cooperate: Medvedchuk is a coward, he fled. There is a second leader there - Boyko, but he refuses to work with us - even his own people will not understand him. They wanted to return Tsarev, so even our pro-Russians turned against him. Return Yanukovych? But as? If we say that it is impossible to occupy, then any of our power there will be killed in 10 minutes, as we leave. Occupy? Where are we going to get so many people? Commandant's offices, military police, counterintelligence, security - even with minimal resistance from the locals, we need 500 thousand or more people. Not counting the supply system. And there is a rule that by covering the poor quality of management with quantity, you only spoil everything. And this, I repeat, would be with the ideal option, which does not exist. we need 500 thousand or more people. Not counting the supply system. And there is a rule that by covering the poor quality of management with quantity, you only spoil everything. And this, I repeat, would be with the ideal option, which does not exist. we need 500 thousand or more people. Not counting the supply system. And there is a rule that by covering the poor quality of management with quantity, you only spoil everything. And this, I repeat, would be with the ideal option, which does not exist.

This proves just how isolated the Russian's truly are; even Pro-Russian elements in Ukraine like the Opposition Platform party and Ukrainian Oligarch's are largely opposed to this invasion or completely unable to obtain support from anyone. This invasion was hugely mismanaged, and it even says (claiming to be from an FSB analyst) earlier that some believe internal conspiracy theories within the FSB that some factions are sympathetic to the Ukrainians and leaked plans before the invasion. Unless Putin is willing to go nuclear, which is an increasingly dark but possible option, it's clear that most Russians, including the FSB and military higher-ups, are simply confused about why they are in Ukraine in the first place. Putin jumped the shark.

That's my take any way.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

For all the keyboard warriors on this thread nonchalantly calling for actions that would pretty much directly lead to WW3, good news, you can actually go fight right now!

Oh, I get it, y'all don't want to actually sacrifice anything yourselves, but it's easy to sit an ocean away and call for escalation.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

For all the keyboard warriors on this thread nonchalantly calling for actions that would pretty much directly lead to WW3, good news, you can actually go fight right now!

Oh, I get it, y'all don't want to actually sacrifice anything yourselves, but it's easy to sit an ocean away and call for escalation.

I was genuinely considering it for a few days after I saw that, but I’ve been advised against it by several due to the fact I have zero combat experience and epilepsy that requires constant medication or I go into seizures so would likely be more of a liability than an asset to the actual frontline. If you disagree with this assessment and think I actually would be helpful on the frontlines…please let me know here.
Otherwise any ideas on how I can effectively help other than donations and protests/writing to representatives? (as if that will help lmao)
And don’t worry If the US does enter into this specific war, I will enlist for whatever role possible ASAP, while I may not be even permitted into combat, I’m sure I could contribute something somewhere.

Of course our measures are not calling for WW3 by any means, but rather calling Putin’s very obvious bluff and/or forcing a coup in the Kremlin. I’ve long explained this point, but tldr Russia is only doing this because the worst they will get is sanctions they can survive, but they also aren’t willing to fully risk WW3 and nuclear war just for Ukraine. Even if you think Putin himself is…a lot of people in his inner circle already are pretty pissed with him as plenty of Russian military leaders likely are…the end result would not be the death of humanity…just the deposing of Putin.

Besides with your logic…couldn’t I demand you give up all your money to charity because you are a socialist?

Only if you really didn't understand Socialism as an ideology beyond what Mainstream American news says and wanted to be super obvious about it.

And yes, calling for Poland to invoke Article 5 over a drone or for Biden to shoot down Russian planes over Ukraine or even, as I've seen others say, the stationing of troops in Western Ukraine are all absolutely unnecessary escalations that would likely make life worse for people in Ukraine, not better, if Ukraine was even habitable afterwards.

Biden is actually outperforming all my expectations by drawing a firm line at direct confrontation over a non-NATO country in spite of chicken hawks such as yourself while also authorizing significant aid to Ukraine and harsh sanctions in concert with our allies that are bearing real results . For the moment, that's the best course of action and we need to maintain it. Period.

'Don't interrupt your enemy while they're busy shooting themselves in the foot' and all that.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1503556250927312896?s=20&t=7rBse3LjdtlYWX7Cjr...
How about leaving leaflets all over the streets informing Russian troops that their paychecks will be worthless, if they even get paid. And if they die, their families will get worthless rubles if they should die in combat. And photos of Putin's billion dollar Dacha just a hop, skip and a jump on the other edge of the Black Sea that he'll be retiring too when this is all over. Just sayin.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

Things looking pretty ugly in Ukraine now.



Dnipro under attack and many cities surrounded.

Is Dnipro under ground attack yet? My understanding is that Zaporizhia would have to fall first if attacked from the South, and/or Izyum, Kharkiv and the heavily concentrated Ukrainian forces on the Donbas line from the north / east.

Certainly still not a great situation... Mykolaiv, Kherson and Melitopol are the only proper Ukrainian cities to have fallen iirc. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Would like a Zaporizhia update, cause that's where the bottom Red arrow is pointed.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

Some videos like this may have already been posted, but I will continue to applaud the insanely brave response from the Ukrainian people, even in occupied cities. Imagine attending a protest in front of an armed enemy soldier! Simply badass.

https://twitter.com/olliecarroll/status/1503275852334776324?s=20&t=XUmGKBWlE...

https://twitter.com/olliecarroll/status/1502973427916939265?s=20&t=XUmGKBWlE...

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1503705570842456070?s=20&t=XUmGKBWlE3HDSrTyMi...

https://twitter.com/dillipmahapatra/status/1503320724869885955?s=20&t=XUmGKB...

We can only hope that peace finds its way to Ukraine ASAP before Putin decides to seriously start squashing civil resistance and commit even more war crimes.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

Clearly an American spy or Russian 5th columnist

But...As far as I'm aware...the employees are simply being fired/laid off en-masse, the buildings aren't being dozed.

Lmao.