Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[Buffalo Mayor Young Kim]

Putin trying to nuke America is absolutely non-believable until proven otherwise.
But if he's losing his mind, then it's quite likely parts of his brain will fancy it.
In any case though, we don't have any evidence whatsoever he's considering it and it should not be treated as plausible.

We were talking about a hypothetical in which NATO troops are engaged in direct combat with Russian forces.

[Person Man]

Putin trying to nuke America is absolutely non-believable until proven otherwise.
But if he's losing his mind, then it's quite likely parts of his brain will fancy it.
In any case though, we don't have any evidence whatsoever he's considering it and it should not be treated as plausible.

We were talking about a hypothetical in which NATO troops are engaged in direct combat with Russian forces.

I mean, there was Korea and Vietnam.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Here's a good thread:

https://twitter.com/kamilkazani/status/1497993363076915204?t=e0pQqCe4QcmH6oLbFng...

[FT-02 Senator A.F.E. 🇵🇸🤝🇺🇸🤝🇺🇦]

Putin trying to nuke America is absolutely non-believable until proven otherwise.
But if he's losing his mind, then it's quite likely parts of his brain will fancy it.
In any case though, we don't have any evidence whatsoever he's considering it and it should not be treated as plausible.

We were talking about a hypothetical in which NATO troops are engaged in direct combat with Russian forces.

I mean, there was Korea and Vietnam.

I'm surprised you guys haven't mentioned the Battle of Khasham yet.

[NOVA Green]

What is the point of that "Russia nukes DC" tangent? Take a walk, leave this thread for important updates rather than your own dooming.

Some people here almost seem to want nuclear armageddon.

Agreed.... people can either take it another thread (Believe there is already one out there?), since it's really getting a bit OOT.

It I were a mod might start looking at selective muting if folx don't keep it relatively civil and on topic.

Still not a mod and not an attempted mod-jacker, but it's starting to turn into one of these things which occasionally will clog up US General Election threads...

[NOVA Green]

Russian Boycott Movement Continues per New York Times:

(Much longer article so to read to full one go directly to the New York Times)

"The Metropolitan Opera says it will cut ties with pro-Putin artists.

The Metropolitan Opera said on Sunday that it would no longer engage with performers or other institutions that have voiced support for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, becoming the latest cultural organization to seek to distance itself from some Russian artists amid Mr. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, said that the Met, which has long employed Russians as top singers and has a producing partnership with the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, had an obligation to show support for the people of Ukraine.

“While we believe strongly in the warm friendship and cultural exchange that has long existed between the artists and artistic institutions of Russia and the United States,” Mr. Gelb said in a video statement, “we can no longer engage with artists or institutions that support Putin or are supported by him.”

Mr. Gelb added that the policy would be in effect “until the invasion and killing has been stopped, order has been restored, and restitutions have been made.”

..."



https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/27/arts/music/met-opera-putin-ukraine-peter-gelb.html

[sting in the rafters]

Putin trying to nuke America is absolutely non-believable until proven otherwise.
But if he's losing his mind, then it's quite likely parts of his brain will fancy it.
In any case though, we don't have any evidence whatsoever he's considering it and it should not be treated as plausible.

We were talking about a hypothetical in which NATO troops are engaged in direct combat with Russian forces.

I mean, there was Korea and Vietnam.

Stalin and Brezhnev (and Mao given the PRC presence in both of those wars) respectively might be more mentally stable than Putin is right now, as hard as it is to believe. Obviously it's always difficult to tell what is/isn't true regarding the modalities of the Kremlin but it sounds like even his inner circle is starting to become afraid of how unhinged he's been.

Given the stakes and the Kremlin's willingness to cross lines that most Western observers once regarded as unrealistic, this isn't a situation to assume that this is merely a case of madman theory gone awry.

I'm surprised you guys haven't mentioned the Battle of Khasham yet.

Were those Russian regulars?

[Person Man]

What is the point of that "Russia nukes DC" tangent? Take a walk, leave this thread for important updates rather than your own dooming.

Some people here almost seem to want nuclear armageddon.

Agreed.... people can either take it another thread (Believe there is already one out there?), since it's really getting a bit OOT.

It I were a mod might start looking at selective muting if folx don't keep it relatively civil and on topic.

Still not a mod and not an attempted mod-jacker, but it's starting to turn into one of these things which occasionally will clog up US General Election threads...

The point is that the EU entering a proxy war against the Russians in Ukraine is reasonable given where things are and if Russians start a campaign of extermination with their thermobolic MRLPs, then it would be reasonable if ground forces are set up to form a minimum defensive perimeter of the western quarter of Ukraine.

[Person Man]

Putin trying to nuke America is absolutely non-believable until proven otherwise.
But if he's losing his mind, then it's quite likely parts of his brain will fancy it.
In any case though, we don't have any evidence whatsoever he's considering it and it should not be treated as plausible.

We were talking about a hypothetical in which NATO troops are engaged in direct combat with Russian forces.

I mean, there was Korea and Vietnam.

Stalin and Brezhnev (and Mao given the PRC presence in both of those wars) respectively might be more mentally stable than Putin is right now, as hard as it is to believe. Obviously it's always difficult to tell what is/isn't true regarding the modalities of the Kremlin but it sounds like even his inner circle is starting to become afraid of how unhinged he's been.

Given the stakes and the Kremlin's willingness to cross lines that most Western observers once regarded as unrealistic, this isn't a situation to assume that this is merely a case of madman theory gone awry.

You can’t let people bully you just because they are disabled.

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

If the EU's Ukrainian assistance includes access to NATO's air-to-air weapons systems, then tonight is gonna be a very bad night to be a Belarusian paratrooper.

To an extent. The Ukranian air force has only trained on Soviet/Russian systems and it's not clear how many (if any) non-Soviet/Russian weapons will be compatible with these. The unconfirmed reports of non-Ukranian pilots go against multiple sources saying Ukraine requested and received MiG/Su systems from Bulgaria, Poland and Slovakia. They should be assumed to be false because they would have otherwise invited global outcry from neutral countries fearing nuclear armageddon.

"NATO's air-to-air weapons systems" in this context are probably (at their strongest) ex-Soviet weapons (or the somewhat upgraded systems used by Bulgaria, Poland and Slovakia in their MiG-29s and Su-25s). WaPo reports:

https://twitter.com/michaelbirnbaum/status/1498037892886712322
That more of these aircraft have allegedly been transferred ready-for-use is probably a bigger development, IMO. The Ukranian air force was likely to run out of operational planes before they ran out of weapons, and it's astonishing this hadn't already happened.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

What is the point of that "Russia nukes DC" tangent? Take a walk, leave this thread for important updates rather than your own dooming.

Some people here almost seem to want nuclear armageddon.

Agreed.... people can either take it another thread (Believe there is already one out there?), since it's really getting a bit OOT.

It I were a mod might start looking at selective muting if folx don't keep it relatively civil and on topic.

Still not a mod and not an attempted mod-jacker, but it's starting to turn into one of these things which occasionally will clog up US General Election threads...

This thread is getting a large number of usually-USGD posters now. I guess it's not surprising, lol.

Anyway, here's another meme for y'all.

[NOVA Green]

Ukrainian Turkish Supplied Anti-Tank Drones recently hit Russian Convoy heading towards Kiev from the NW...

Saw the footage on CNN, but my wife had just gotten of of work, so neglected to provide another example of how effective these drones can be against Russian Tanks.

"1 hr 36 min ago

Ukraine claims successful drone attacks against Russian forces

From Tim Lister in Kyiv

The Ukrainian military has claimed successful attacks by its Turkish-made force of drones against Russian forces.

On Sunday, the Armed Forces of Ukraine released footage showing the destruction of armor by a drone, and said it was carried out against a Russian BUK surface-to-air missile system.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief, said the drone attack took place near the town of Malyn, 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) northwest of Kyiv.

The Ukrainian government began receiving the Bayraktar TB2 drones from Turkey last year. "

[FT-02 Senator A.F.E. 🇵🇸🤝🇺🇸🤝🇺🇦]

What is the point of that "Russia nukes DC" tangent? Take a walk, leave this thread for important updates rather than your own dooming.

Some people here almost seem to want nuclear armageddon.

Agreed.... people can either take it another thread (Believe there is already one out there?), since it's really getting a bit OOT.

It I were a mod might start looking at selective muting if folx don't keep it relatively civil and on topic.

Still not a mod and not an attempted mod-jacker, but it's starting to turn into one of these things which occasionally will clog up US General Election threads...

This thread is getting a large number of usually-USGD posters now. I guess it's not surprising, lol.

Anyway, here's another meme for y'all.

The impact font in blue and gold really sells the meme. 10/10

*chefs kiss*

[Omega21]

https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1498098770273312769

[Flyersfan232]

What is Mikhail Gorbachev saying about this whole thing?

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

What is the point of that "Russia nukes DC" tangent? Take a walk, leave this thread for important updates rather than your own dooming.

Some people here almost seem to want nuclear armageddon.

Agreed.... people can either take it another thread (Believe there is already one out there?), since it's really getting a bit OOT.

It I were a mod might start looking at selective muting if folx don't keep it relatively civil and on topic.

Still not a mod and not an attempted mod-jacker, but it's starting to turn into one of these things which occasionally will clog up US General Election threads...

This thread is getting a large number of usually-USGD posters now. I guess it's not surprising, lol.

Anyway, here's another meme for y'all.

The blue and gold impact font letters really sell the meme. 10/10

*chefs kiss*

Thank you! It's a honor for receive your praise!

[FT-02 Senator A.F.E. 🇵🇸🤝🇺🇸🤝🇺🇦]

What is Mikhail Gorbachev saying about this whole thing?

Probably stuffing his face to his heart's content at a Pizza Hut

[NOVA Green]

https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1498098770273312769

Belarus Jets???

Is this the upcoming "5 AM Airdrop" ?

If so am assuming they are providing close tactical support against Ukrainian Air Defense systems.

[FT-02 Senator A.F.E. 🇵🇸🤝🇺🇸🤝🇺🇦]

What is the point of that "Russia nukes DC" tangent? Take a walk, leave this thread for important updates rather than your own dooming.

Some people here almost seem to want nuclear armageddon.

Agreed.... people can either take it another thread (Believe there is already one out there?), since it's really getting a bit OOT.

It I were a mod might start looking at selective muting if folx don't keep it relatively civil and on topic.

Still not a mod and not an attempted mod-jacker, but it's starting to turn into one of these things which occasionally will clog up US General Election threads...

This thread is getting a large number of usually-USGD posters now. I guess it's not surprising, lol.

Anyway, here's another meme for y'all.

The blue and gold impact font letters really sell the meme. 10/10

*chefs kiss*

Thank you! It's a honor for receive your praise!

Anytime! I got one in the works, yet, as it turns out, making an animation is a pain in the ass.

[NOVA Green]

First banking casualty of Western Sanctions per The Guardian (Uk paper for the yanks that don't know):


"Sberbank Europe will collapse, says ECB


More bad economic news for Putin.

The European Central Bank said on Monday morning that Sberbank Europe, a fully-owned subsidiary of Sberbank Russia, which in turn is majority-owned by the Russian state, is failing or likely to fail along with its Croatian and Slovenian units.

“Sberbank Europe AG and its subsidiaries experienced significant deposit outflows as a result of the reputational impact of geopolitical tensions,” the ECB said in a statement. “This led to a deterioration of its liquidity position.

“There are no available measures with a realistic chance of restoring this position at group level and in each of its subsidiaries within the banking union.” "

[Flyersfan232]

What is the point of that "Russia nukes DC" tangent? Take a walk, leave this thread for important updates rather than your own dooming.

Some people here almost seem to want nuclear armageddon.

Ur are all free to fly to Ukraine and fight the russians

[Tekken_Guy]

Relax guys. Nobody is going to nuclear war. Even if Putin himself is crazy enough to do so, he's never going to be able to get past his advisors, the military, the oligarchs, or anyone else who doesn't want to Russia to be nuked right back.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Relax guys. Nobody is going to nuclear war. Even if Putin himself is crazy enough to do so, he's never going to be able to get past his advisors, the military, the oligarchs, or anyone else who doesn't want to Russia to be nuked right back.

Yeah. As Brucejoel99 said in another thread, no one wants to die, including Putin.

[Person Man]

Relax guys. Nobody is going to nuclear war. Even if Putin himself is crazy enough to do so, he's never going to be able to get past his advisors, the military, the oligarchs, or anyone else who doesn't want to Russia to be nuked right back.

The key to ending this nightmare might be to prime Putin without crossing the line with his  inner circle.

[Flyersfan232]

What is the point of that "Russia nukes DC" tangent? Take a walk, leave this thread for important updates rather than your own dooming.

Some people here almost seem to want nuclear armageddon.

Ur are all free to fly to Ukraine and fight the russians

They*