Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[WMS]

Map of results of UN vote condemning Russia. China's influence in this conflict is very obvious and they are not behaving as the "neutral" party they wish others to believe (hello there, African investments!):

India excepted the yellow and red on that map make a pretty good approximation of the respective Chinese and Russian SoI.

And Vietnam, which hates China and is closely aligned with the US these days on most Asian matters. Not sure what they think about Russia, though.

Vietnam is probably what Ukraine is to Russia.  Overall its vote is probably close to why India  is absent as well.

Well that explains Laos, which is basically a colony of Vietnam.

And perhaps that explains Cambodia and Thailand voting Yes, because while neither of them gives a crap about human rights, they care very much about not becoming dominated by Vietnam, China, or India. As I staunchly believe and have said recently, every time I read or hear about someone getting off to “the BRICS will overthrow the Western world order” I immediately look to their neighbors, who somehow aren’t enthusiastic about that…

Isn't Laos more a colony of China as opposed to Vietnam?

Nope. You may be thinking of Cambodia, whose vote was a surprise.

[WMS]

Re: The Russians fleeing Russia

I finally remembered this. If you want to see what Putin really intends for the people under his rule, don’t look at Russia (yet). Look at Crimea and Eastern Donbas, where he has no restrictions whatsoever. They are utter pits of repression for most Russians, much less any non-Russians.

The Russians are fleeing because they see the writing on the wall. Putin is extinguishing what little freedom is left in Russia. If it wasn’t already apparent by now, he gives not a solitary f*** about Russians, the people, at all, only “Russia”, the name of his empire of terror.

[WMS]

Re: The Russians fleeing Russia

I finally remembered this. If you want to see what Putin really intends for the people under his rule, don’t look at Russia (yet). Look at Crimea and Eastern Donbas, where he has no restrictions whatsoever. They are utter pits of repression for most Russians, much less any non-Russians.

The Russians are fleeing because they see the writing on the wall. Putin is extinguishing what little freedom is left in Russia. If it wasn’t already apparent by now, he gives not a solitary f*** about Russians, the people, at all, only “Russia”, the name of his empire of terror.

If you really want to scare people, you can mention Chechnya.

Damnit I knew I was forgetting something. There’s always that extra layer of evil with Putin involved.

[WMS]

Something to keep in mind:

https://twitter.com/marcowenjones/status/1499312091727020032?s=21

[WMS]

https://twitter.com/peterliakhov/status/1499341576518217730?s=21

Hmm.

[WMS]

https://twitter.com/mollyjongfast/status/1499445946509402112?s=21

Cross-posting for non-Americans and those with enough sense to stay out of USGD.

[WMS]

A few statistics from comparing UNGAR ES-11/1 (condemning Russia) with the -4 to 100 Freedom Scale by Freedom House.

Median FH Scores, to avoid Mean/Average skewing:

No Votes: 3 out of 100

Abstain Votes: 30 out of 100

Absent Votes*: 20 out of 100 (gee who would they have voted for, you think?)
*Turns out Venezuela can’t vote in the UNGA because they haven’t paid their UN dues in two years…just Venezuela…

Yes Votes: 79 out of 100

bUt MuH bOtH sIdEs…yeah, piss off, Russia stans

[WMS]

Because you’re dying to know this, I present: What Do The Jihadists Think Of All This?*

*Spoiler: they are experiencing very complicated emotions

https://twitter.com/minalami/status/1499366434803175425?s=21

[WMS]

Because you’re dying to know this, I present: What Do The Jihadists Think Of All This?*

*Spoiler: they are experiencing very complicated emotions

https://twitter.com/minalami/status/1499366434803175425?s=21

If you believe in that stupid saying that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend", then Ukraine and ISIS are friends.

“The enemy of my enemy is my enemy’s enemy, nothing more, nothing less.”

[WMS]

Who here still genuinely thinks letting Russia do whatever they want in Ukraine and hoping sanctions work is the best option?

Goddamnit I’m going to sound like Sam F***ing Spade here but I ran across something on Twitter and…we’re not just letting Russia do what they want in Ukraine…but specifying more is actually dangerous in real life to…those involved…

[WMS]

Who here still genuinely thinks letting Russia do whatever they want in Ukraine and hoping sanctions work is the best option?

Goddamnit I’m going to sound like Sam F***ing Spade here but I ran across something on Twitter and…we’re not just letting Russia do what they want in Ukraine…but specifying more is actually dangerous in real life to…those involved…

Link? (Unless classified info that's gonna harm lives if leaked has somehow been published on Twitter, in which case, obviously please don't.)

I can’t. It’s the speculation that’s dangerous about it. Someone speculated on something and was told that was a dangerous thing to do.

[WMS]

Who here still genuinely thinks letting Russia do whatever they want in Ukraine and hoping sanctions work is the best option?

Goddamnit I’m going to sound like Sam F***ing Spade here but I ran across something on Twitter and…we’re not just letting Russia do what they want in Ukraine…but specifying more is actually dangerous in real life to…those involved…

Yeah, sending Ukraine buttloads of SAMs and anti-tank missiles ins't "letting Russia do whatever they want". But I do think NATO should do more, especially if the Ukrainians begin to significantly lose the ability to fight.

If anything, maybe the USAF/NATO could pull a Soviet Union in the Korean War and secretly use pilots in Ukrainian marked planes. I know American flight testing companies have MiGs, so I'm sure there are some American pilots that can fly them. That's in addition to pilots in Eastern NATO countries that fly MiGs.

from wikipedia:
"The participation of the Soviet Union in the Korean War was kept secret, and pilots were forbidden to approach the front line or fly over the sea. The aircraft used PLAAF markings and pilots were given Chinese Communist documents and uniforms."

Loose lips sink ships.

[WMS]

https://twitter.com/natashabertrand/status/1499351747571113984?s=21

Worth a read.

[WMS]

https://twitter.com/un_hrc/status/1499696876601462789?s=21

Some familiar voting patterns…

…and some familiar @$$holes in the comments.

[WMS]

https://twitter.com/un_hrc/status/1499696876601462789?s=21
Some familiar voting patterns…

…and some familiar @$$holes in the comments.

What is the practical effect of this?

Setting the stage for the war crimes trials down the line.

[WMS]

https://twitter.com/un_hrc/status/1499696876601462789?s=21
Some familiar voting patterns…

…and some familiar @$$holes in the comments.

What is the practical effect of this?

Setting the stage for the war crimes trials down the line.

Are those to be done in absentia?

One would bloody well hope not. Milosevic, Karazdic, and Mladic were hauled there eventually, as was Charles Taylor.

[WMS]

https://twitter.com/kasparov63/status/1499088993736138754?s=21

Gary Kasparov to remind you all, among other things, that appeasing Putin will not solve anything.

[WMS]

https://twitter.com/kasparov63/status/1499088993736138754?s=21

Gary Kasparov to remind you all, among other things, that appeasing Putin will not solve anything.

Garry is also a mad Fomenkoist, not exactly someone I would listen to on geopolitical matters.

On issues related to Putin and Russia, has he been wrong?

[WMS]

https://twitter.com/kyivindependent/status/1499675657923706880?s=21

Good news in more than one way.

[WMS]

https://twitter.com/angry_staffer/status/1499793046673707010?s=21

https://twitter.com/markhertling/status/1499444668597215238?s=21

What the Russian hierarchy thinks about their soldiers.

https://twitter.com/gordoncorera/status/1499784845601521665?s=21

About that hierarchy in action…

https://twitter.com/samramani2/status/1499767738381877253?s=21

Well, the European Commission said so, anyway.

https://twitter.com/skyandyhughes/status/1499863194575200268?s=21

Putin’s respect for foreign press.

https://twitter.com/apolyakova/status/1499840902512132096?s=21

Putin likely to do to Kyiv what he did to Aleppo, and I bet the same assholes who cheered that are cheering this too, including those sociopathic ones who claim to “only be neutral” yet only condemn the West.

[WMS]

https://twitter.com/brokenpixelua/status/1499764941867433987?s=21

Reminder #86434889 of who the Good Guys™️ are.

[WMS]

Remember what I had said about those unencrypted Russian coms? Yeah

Relatedly:

<tweet snip>

Or just played something very embarrassing. That’s be funny.

Or something really annoying, like all Alvin and the Chipmunks music or Jingle Bells sung by barking dogs.

Now now, so far all the human abuses have been on one side; let’s not change that-

[WMS]

I think I might just stop posting on this thread or minimize, since it doesn't really appear anybody gives an "eff".

Maybe better to shift and share news to my social network on Facebook, where at least it will get a much greater reach both domestically and internationally.

Sorry man, I can only afford my NYT, The Atlantic, and Reuters subscriptions right now.

[WMS]

https://twitter.com/newvoiceukraine/status/1500114113187483651?s=21
So, for those of you wanting more frequent updates on the war in Ukraine, here is an Ukrainian source that’s updated during the day as events happen. Probably is biased in favor of Ukraine, but then again so is reality.

[WMS]

If this is true than it's absolutely disgusting.

https://twitter.com/PaulaChertok/status/1500129586117427201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%...

I had read on Twitter right after the evacuation corridors were announced speculation that Russia would do exactly this.